Online campaign asks for support for widow of heroic Sewol diver
Late Kim Kwan-hong in the top photo and the business card of his wife who runs a flower store. / Captured from the Internet
By Park Si-soo
An online campaign to help the widow of Kim Kwan-hong, a diver who is revered for his heroic rescue efforts in 2014, is gaining momentum following President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.
A captured business card of Kim Hye-yeon, wife of the late diver, is spreading on social media and community websites with a memo asking netizens to buy flowers at her shop.
Kim was found dead in his home in an apparent suicide in June, ending his fight against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) he had suffered after his risky search of the doomed Sewol ferry. He suffered from PTSD, along with acute decompression sickness, after jumping into the water numerous times in a desperate effort to save people trapped in the ferry, which capsized on April 16, 2014.
President Park has been accused of being lazy in responding to the disaster that claimed the lives of more than 300 people, mostly high school students.
The diver is widely remembered for a line he left in his suicide note: "Please take care of things left unsolved."
Attending a public hearing as a witness last December, Kim condemned government officials for their lack of enthusiasm and will to explore the many questions linked to the ferry disaster, including the exact cause of the sinking and the government's allegedly slow rescue operation.
"I'm not a hero. I just dashed to the scene because I had skills and knowledge with which I was able to help," the diver said during the hearing.
Pointing out government officials who were trying to reduce their responsibilities, Kim said, "Do you really not remember everything that happened that day? I can remember everything clearly and I won't be able to forget it. Please be true to yourself."