Ten years after Sewol tragedy, a survivor helps victims of other disasters

Yu Ga-young, a former Danwon High School student who survived the deadly accident, is navigating her pain by actively aiding disaster victims. Most of the Sewol victims were Yu's schoolmates, who were on a school trip to the resort island of Jeju.

Yu Ga-young, a former Danwon High School student who survived the deadly accident, looks at the nameplate of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi. [SON SUNG-BAE]

The survivors and families affected by the Sewol ferry tragedy cope with grief in their own ways.

Yu Ga-young, a former Danwon High School student who survived the deadly accident, is navigating her pain by actively aiding disaster victims. Most of the Sewol victims were Yu's schoolmates, who were on a school trip to the resort island of Jeju.

Tuesday marked 3,654 days — 10 years — since the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy.

Yu met with JoongAng Ilbo on April 9 at Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi and shared her journey of healing and becoming a healer for other victims.

Recalling the day of the disaster, Yu found herself desperately holding onto dear life at the rear of the cabin as the ferry capsized off the coast of Jindo, South Jeolla. She “stayed still” — per intercom instructions — until her close friend pulled her up to board a maritime helicopter, allowing her to escape the terrifying scene. Following the incident, Yu suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, even requiring hospitalization at a mental health facility for two weeks during her second year of university.

In her essay "Becoming Wind to Survive," released last April, Yu recounted her journey of recovering from the past.

Her trauma never entirely faded away.

"The nightmares I have from time to time take me back to the sea (where the disaster took place). Dreams of tidal waves crashing in, dreams of being the only survivor and suffering, and dreams of people around me leaving me...,” she wrote in her essay.

However, she chose to move forward, and since then, she has dedicated herself to helping children and young adults suffering from trauma through an organization that she founded in 2018 with three other surviving students. Participants engage in activities such as puppet shows, doll crafting, and board games to aid their healing process.

Yu Ga-young, a survivor of the Sewol ferry tragedy, looks at art pieces displayed at the exhibition hall of the center commemorating the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. [SON SUNG-BAE]

Yu extended her support to victims of natural disasters, including massive wildfires along the eastern coast in March 2022, and survivors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster whom she visited Japan last month.

"Among the survivors, some remain trapped in that day, in that place, but there are also those who strive to move forward,” Yu said, adding, " Fukushima disaster survivors, who suffered before me, were also like that."

Yu hopes people will continue to remember the Sewol ferry tragedy.

"Even Individuals from other nations, who have faced their own tragedies, remember and honor victims of the Sewol ferry tragedy. Then there are people who say they are 'sick' or 'tired' of this unforgettable disaster, and I hate them.”

On April 1, Yu published a revised edition of her essay book.

"If I keep documenting my life over the next ten years and the next ten years after that, I will survive," Yu said.

BY SON SUNG-BAE, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]