Jeju Air Disaster, YouTuber Urges Attention to Firefighters' Mental Distress

Aori Donates 10 Million Won for Firefighters' Psychological Therapy Costs

Model and YouTuber Aori (Kim Min-young) urged attention to the firefighters who are handling the aftermath of the Muan Airport Jeju Air passenger plane disaster. She also donated 10 million won for the firefighters' psychological treatment.

On December 31 last year, Aori attached an article on SNS about the trauma experienced by firefighters managing the Muan Airport passenger plane disaster site. She then stated, “I saw a post saying that the firefighters who recovered bodies at the scene, compared DNA, and faced the horrific site closer than anyone else are suffering from severe trauma and indescribable mental pain.”

Ohl Lee urged attention to the firefighters who responded to the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster at Muan Airport. Aohl Lee SNS

She said, “Timing is the most important factor in trauma treatment, so the treatment for these individuals right now is really very important,” and added, “I donated 10 million won for the firefighters' psychological treatment through the NGO 'Warm Day.'”

She continued, “I sincerely pray that they recover healthily and are more valuably used where the firefighters' hands are needed, and that they stay strong.”

In fact, after the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, firefighters showed shock at the horrific scene during the recovery process. Among firefighters, it is said that the scene was so terrible that it was a disaster hard to experience in a lifetime, and even after leaving the site, the scenes keep coming back. Psychological support is being provided at the airport, but some firefighters expressed to the media that just seeing the scene makes it impossible to fathom the pain, which is frustrating.

Firefighters are clearing debris at the runway accident site of Muan International Airport in Jeonnam on the 29th, where a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the outer wall of the runway during landing, causing a fire that resulted in the deaths of most passengers. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The National Fire Agency is also making efforts to support psychological treatment for the 422 firefighters deployed to the Muan Jeju Air disaster. A National Fire Agency official stated, “Currently, psychological counseling is being provided not only to the bereaved families but also to the firefighters at the Muan site, and after their return, psychological counseling will be supported through a ‘visiting counseling room.’”

Meanwhile, according to the ‘2023 Mental Health Survey’ conducted by the National Fire Agency on December 31, among 52,802 firefighters who participated in the survey, 43.9% (23,060 people) responded that they need management or treatment for at least one of four psychological disorders: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, sleep disorders, or problematic drinking. This suggests that more than four out of ten firefighters are experiencing psychological disorders.

In particular, firefighters deployed to large-scale disaster sites often report psychological difficulties. After participating in rescue activities for the October 29 Itaewon disaster in 2022, 1,316 firefighters received trauma treatment.

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