Catch News & Events: Jeju Today

Cruel April, Remembering Together is Condolence and StrengthBy Ahn Hyekyeong I greeted this morning’s radiant spring sunshine. The flowers and pale green new leaves were so beautiful. They bloomed by absorbing this bright spring sunlight as well as spring rain, which fell after enduring the cold winter. For a moment, I forgot the news that the flowers bloomed ahead of time due to global warming. Feeling grateful for the natural cycle, I wore a little smile like sprouts on my face. But then, April also evokes horrendous memories. One simply can’t greet this warm spring sunshine after the winter. The April 3rd Massacre 73 years ago, and the Sewol Ferry incident on April 16th, seven years ago! Nature in April blooms warmly, but the human society recoils coldly with anger and sadness. We have met the 7th year with the harsh memories on the day for which no one has yet taken responsibility. The more radiant the spring sunshine becomes, the more sorrowful we feel due to the collective pain and memory of April. The huge passenger ship, MV Sewol, which was heading to Jeju with young students chatting happily with friends, never reached Jeju Island.  While watching the news on the TV screen, I didn’t doubt that they would be rescued soon from the huge ship which was sinking and lying in the peaceful sea like a lake. What era are we in now? We are in the era whereby pictures, video images, and conversations move across the world instantly, and spaceships are shot into space. However, as we all know, the rescue attempts failed, and the investigation as well as any punishment of people in charge are still in a fog. At that time, the whole nation was seething with shock, anger, and sadness; however, it seemed that those memories are getting distant from most people including me. However... Brenda Paik Sunoo, who is a third-generation Korean-American and published “Moon Tides” with interviews of Jeju haenyeo women divers in 2011, recently released a web-book In Memory of Sewol. Brenda said that she wanted to console the bereaved families who lost their precious children in front of their eyes and have lived with pain and a huge void in their hearts. Brenda also has experienced the same sadness that is beyond reckoning, as her second son suddenly died from cardiac arrest years ago at high school. Alongside beautiful pictures under the sea, the web-book unfolds a heart-warming story of a daughter who wants to end her mother’s nightmares with the help of a dolphin.  When I learned that Brenda had received positive responses from the Sewol family organization, I thought they were just being polite. I know Brenda’s sincerity and true heart. But I frankly doubted how much the web-book could console the parents who have suffered the painful seven years. It was because their children who they believed would be rescued lost their lives in front of their eyes (as they watched the scene on TV). Even the Moon Jae-in government, which was inaugurated after the Candlelight Protest, hasn’t solved the investigation nor punished anyone in charge after 7 years. Then, after reading the interview article on “Your April”, a documentary film directed by Ju Hyeon-sook and recently released, I realized that I was too cynical when I doubted how much the web-book could console the bereaved families. “Your April” is a documentary film made with interviews of people who were asked what memories of Sewol tragedy still remained. The bereaved families wondered what people would think about them as they raised the issue of Sewol for 7 years. They wondered if people got sick and tired of hearing about it. But actually, they were comforted when they knew that people still remembered the day, felt sad, and were afraid should they ever be in such a situation. I thought that rash consolation would hurt them more, especially after the government investigation was completed. But I was wrong. I realized later that remembering Sewol tragedy together can offer consolation and strength. My rash critical perspective meant that I didn’t understand enough. As I was finishing this article, Brenda sent me a web-poster on the memorial event in Jeju Island for the 7thanniversary of Sewol. She was on her way to Sagye village to join others on a 4.16 kilometer walk from Sanbang Mt. to Songak Mt. In April, we have to remember that for some people remembering Sewol together can bring consolation and strength to the surviving families.To view the webbook: rememberingsewol.com
Jeju Today, April 16, 2021

 

Cruel April, Remembering Together is Condolence and Strength 

By Ahn Hyekyeong 

  

I greeted this morning’s radiant spring sunshine. The flowers and pale green new leaves were so beautiful. They bloomed by absorbing this bright spring sunlight as well as spring rain, which fell after enduring the cold winter. For a moment, I forgot the news that the flowers bloomed ahead of time due to global warming. Feeling grateful for the natural cycle, I wore a little smile like sprouts on my face. 

  

But then, April also evokes horrendous memories. One simply can’t greet this warm spring sunshine after the winter. The April 3rd Massacre 73 years ago, and the Sewol Ferry incident on April 16th, seven years ago! Nature in April blooms warmly, but the human society recoils coldly with anger and sadness. We have met the 7th year with the harsh memories on the day for which no one has yet taken responsibility. The more radiant the spring sunshine becomes, the more sorrowful we feel due to the collective pain and memory of April. 

  

The huge passenger ship, MV Sewol, which was heading to Jeju with young students chatting happily with friends, never reached Jeju Island.  While watching the news on the TV screen, I didn’t doubt that they would be rescued soon from the huge ship which was sinking and lying in the peaceful sea like a lake. What era are we in now? We are in the era whereby pictures, video images, and conversations move across the world instantly, and spaceships are shot into space. However, as we all know, the rescue attempts failed, and the investigation as well as any punishment of people in charge are still in a fog. At that time, the whole nation was seething with shock, anger, and sadness; however, it seemed that those memories are getting distant from most people including me. However... 

  

Brenda Paik Sunoo, who is a third-generation Korean-American and published “Moon Tides” with interviews of Jeju haenyeo women divers in 2011, recently released a web-book In Memory of Sewol. Brenda said that she wanted to console the bereaved families who lost their precious children in front of their eyes and have lived with pain and a huge void in their hearts. Brenda also has experienced the same sadness that is beyond reckoning, as her second son suddenly died from cardiac arrest years ago at high school. Alongside beautiful pictures under the sea, the web-book unfolds a heart-warming story of a daughter who wants to end her mother’s nightmares with the help of a dolphin.  

  

When I learned that Brenda had received positive responses from the Sewol family organization, I thought they were just being polite. I know Brenda’s sincerity and true heart. But I frankly doubted how much the web-book could console the parents who have suffered the painful seven years. It was because their children who they believed would be rescued lost their lives in front of their eyes (as they watched the scene on TV). Even the Moon Jae-in government, which was inaugurated after the Candlelight Protest, hasn’t solved the investigation nor punished anyone in charge after 7 years. 

  

Then, after reading the interview article on “Your April”, a documentary film directed by Ju Hyeon-sook and recently released, I realized that I was too cynical when I doubted how much the web-book could console the bereaved families. “Your April” is a documentary film made with interviews of people who were asked what memories of Sewol tragedy still remained. The bereaved families wondered what people would think about them as they raised the issue of Sewol for 7 years. They wondered if people got sick and tired of hearing about it. But actually, they were comforted when they knew that people still remembered the day, felt sad, and were afraid should they ever be in such a situation. 

  

I thought that rash consolation would hurt them more, especially after the government investigation was completed. But I was wrong. I realized later that remembering Sewol tragedy together can offer consolation and strength. My rash critical perspective meant that I didn’t understand enough. 

  

As I was finishing this article, Brenda sent me a web-poster on the memorial event in Jeju Island for the 7thanniversary of Sewol. She was on her way to Sagye village to join others on a 4.16 kilometer walk from Sanbang Mt. to Songak Mt. In April, we have to remember that for some people remembering Sewol together can bring consolation and strength to the surviving families. 

 

To view the webbook: rememberingsewol.com