Pohang Citizens Unable to Shake Off Earthquake Fear... Appointed as 'Maumseum Counselors'

Pohang Earthquake Trauma Center Trains 8 Citizens Who Applied in Public Recruitment as Counselors

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] To protect citizens who suffered deep emotional wounds from the Pohang earthquake, the Earthquake Trauma Center, which opened at the end of last year, has trained and deployed 8 citizen counselors to the field.

According to Pohang City on the 11th, the Pohang Earthquake Trauma Center appointed 8 citizens who completed training on the 8th as 'Maumseum Peer Counselors.' These individuals, selected through a public recruitment in February, received specialized disaster counseling training over five sessions from June 10 to 24.

The Maumseum Peer Counselor training program is based on the perspective that 'the affected person is the expert.' It assigns roles to support and counsel those who have entered or exhibit symptoms similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the standpoint of neighboring residents.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that appears after experiencing life-threatening or physically threatening serious situations. In the case of earthquakes, symptoms may include being startled by minor tremors or reacting sensitively to the color red after fire damage.

According to a 2018 survey by the POSTECH Convergence Civilization Research Institute, 80% of Pohang citizens suffer from mental damage, and 42% are experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Appointed peer counselor Kim Kyung-eun pledged, "I will work hard to meet those struggling after the earthquake, share what helped overcome trauma, and provide necessary information to help them adapt well to daily life."

Lee Young-ryeol, director of the Pohang Earthquake Trauma Center, stated, "Through peer counseling, it is expected to play an important role in enhancing positive emotional interactions among local residents affected by the earthquake, forming psychological and emotional support systems, and promoting community growth."

Meanwhile, the Pohang area, centered around Heunghae-eup, suffered unprecedented property and mental damage from the magnitude 5.4 earthquake on November 15, 2017, and the magnitude 4.5 aftershock on February 11, 2018.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.