Confession of Sewol ferry disaster's funeral instructors
By Jeong Ji-su
The story of Sewol ferry disaster’s voluntary funeral instructors was told by The Hankyoreh on Wednesday.
When divers retrieve corpses from the Sewol ferry to the port, the funeral instructors meet the cold bodies even before the family of the deceased.
Among the several camps set up among the port, one is dedicated to an area for treating the corpses. To preserve the corpses, an air conditioner is set up to lower the temperature and humidity.
Normally, it takes around one or two hours for the dead bodies to get ready to meet their bereaved families. The funeral instructors keep the corpses’ clothing intact, but wipe out skin-exposed areas such as the face, hands and feet with alcohol to cleanse the body.
“We are trying hard to lessen the shock that the bereaved families might feel. We are just doing what we have to do,” said an anonymous funeral instructor. Another instructor expressed sorrow in how she cries all the time when she works.