Sewol divers' pain continues

A diver spends time in a decompression chamber on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, after an underwater search for possible survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster in this May 2014 file photo. Decompression sickness was very common among divers who took part in the rescue operation, and many of them have suffered from other physical and mental issues. Yonhap

Volunteer divers call for government to provide help

By Kim Se-jeong

Many volunteer divers who searched for the remains of passengers that died after the ferry Sewol sank last year say they continue to suffer from physical and mental pain.

They are calling for the government to provide adequate help for them, saying it has done nothing so far.

After the nation’s worst maritime disaster which killed 304 passengers, the operation to search for the victims’ bodies lasted 210 days. With nine bodies still unaccounted for, countless civilian and military divers were mobilized for the operation, and many of the civilians were volunteers.

Kim Hong-kwan, 42, is among those angry at how he has been ignored for his efforts. He spent almost three months recovering bodies.

“Since February, I have had severe back pain and paralysis in my left leg,” Kim said. “I can’t walk.” He also tore shoulder muscles during the search, and now suffers from herniated cervical discs. At one point, he had to wear diapers because he lost control of his bodily functions.

“I dived out of selflessness as it was important to help them. But what I am left with is trauma. Sometimes, the feeling is so strong that I feel like ending my life.” Kim stopped diving and now drives vehicles to support his three children and a wife.

Hwang Byeong-joo, 56, had his right shoulder bone necrotized and earns a living as a driver to support his family.

“I did not jump into the water during the Sewol sinking for my own interest. But my life has been ruined. I feel incapable because I cannot support myself and my family. The government is not listening to me and that angers me a lot,” Hwang said.

There are more than 20 other volunteer divers with similar complaints.

On Tuesday, they held a rally in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare building in Sejong City, demanding that the state officially recognizes the sacrifices they made. They called for the government to make laws to assist them.

The affected divers want greater support for people injured while helping others. The government has been highly selective regarding who deems worthy of help after the tragedy, the divers said. In March, 18 divers applied for assistance, but have not had a response from the ministry.

Previously, the government promised to pay for their treatment, but the health ministry stopped sending money after December last year. It resumed payments in February, but stopped again in March and has not helped since.

The government said offering compensation is not easy because related laws say that such payments are only available when people die or have serious injuries, while the government deems the physical and mental suffering of the volunteer divers as not serious enough to meet these criteria.

In the meantime, the Park administration has made a final decision on the salvage company to recover the ferry, selecting China’s state company Shanghai Salvage. The salvage operation is expected to take less than a year.