Families of crewmembers endure hardship amid prolonged search

Posted on : 2010-04-06 12:38 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Around 200 family members still remain at the Second Fleet Command headquarters of the navy awaiting news
 March 29.
 
March 29.  

Ever since news unexpectedly broke on television that the Patrol Combat Corvette (PCC) Cheonan his father was on had sunk, Lee-san, the 13-year-old son of Master Chief Petty Officer Lee Chang-gi, has had to fix his meals alone. The rest of his family, his mother, uncle and grandmother, waited for news of his father at a temporary residence prepared at the headquarters of the South Korean navy’s Second Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. For Lee, who only entered middle school a month ago, fixing his own meals has been difficult, and he is unable to eat a proper meal. On the fourth day after the accident, his school learned of the situation and set him food from the school’s cafeteria.

His father still did not return five days after the accident, and his family who were awaiting his father‘s return could not return home. Lee then packed his belongings and moved to the home of his mother’s friend. His mother took some time to check up on him and see how he was doing. On the seventh day after the accident took place, his mother traveled to Baengnyeong Island, the location of the incident. Lee has been staying after school to work on inventions he will present at a provincial student invention contest that is set to open at the end of the month. Having attended a young inventors‘ class in Seoul’s Dogok neighborhood starting in the fifth grade, he has a special talent for inventing things. Lee-san is also a good student, and received an academic scholarship on the day he entered middle school. His father, who told him he loved him and was more proud of him than anyone else, has yet to come home.

The search for the missing has been completely called off at the request of the family members of those who are missing and salvage operations have begun, but as the operations for the accident grow interminably longer, the families of those who are missing are awaiting news amid painful days. The adults are suffering insurmountable difficulties, but the children are also making great sacrifices.

Ga-yeong, the 7-year-old daughter of Chief Petty Officer Park Gyeong-su, who also fought in the 2002 West Sea maritime clash, or 2002 Battle of Yeonpyeong, has been unable to go to school since the accident. Hae-na the 8-year-old daughter of Chief Petty Officer Kim Tae-seok, who is missing, was hospitalized on the seventh day of the accident with a high fever. At her side, in place of her mother, is her grandmother. The two sons of Senior Chief Petty Officer Nam Ki-hoon, whose body was the first of the missing to be found, without any time to grieve for their father’s death, went to school on Monday morning, saying goodbye to their mother and grandmother, who had been up all night stricken by grief.

At the temporary residence set up at the headquarters of the Second Fleet Command, where at first some 500 people stayed, only about 200 immediate family members and close relatives of the missing remain. As the rescue operation became increasingly prolonged, most relatives left to go back to work. Only the direct relatives have put everything on hold and are awaiting the return of the survivors. Most of them are suffering a severe physical deterioration in health, depression and colds.

Na Jae-bong, the father of missing sailor Na Hyeong-min, said Monday that he is willing to put his life on hold while his son is missing. He said he did not want to do anything, and just wanted his son found quickly. Lee Jeong-guk, who heads the association of the missing crewmembers’ families, said they plan to stay where they are until the salvage operation is complete, even if that takes over a month.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

 

 

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