Asiana Survivors Grapple With Trauma

Dec. 23, 2013 4:09 a.m. ETSEOUL—Five months after Asiana Airlines 020560.SE +0.10% Asiana Airlines Inc. S. Korea: KRX KRW4810 +5 +0.10% Dec. 23, 2013 3:00 pm Volume : 268,332 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap KRW937.46 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee KRW603,224,000 12/23/13 Asiana Crash Victims Still Gra… 12/19/13 Asiana Asiana Crash Probe Expo… 12/12/13 Cockpit Cultural Issues Invest… More quote details and news » 020560.SE in Your Value Your Change Short position Flight 214 crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport, passenger Kum Tae-ok is still plagued by repeated nightmares of the ordeal as she struggled to evacuate from the burning jetliner together with her aging mother and over 300 other survivors.
While Ms. Kum, 53, has recovered from her physical injuries, her psychological wounds linger. Common events trigger flashbacks where she relives the trauma from July 6 over and over again.

A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board photo shows the wreckage of Asiana Airlines’ Flight 214 that crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in this handout file photo released on July 7, 2013. Reuters

“One day, I went to watch a lighthearted movie for some laughs. There was a sudden bang in one of the scenes, and I was so shocked that I felt paralyzed. I took the tranquilizers that I had with me—twice the prescribed amount—but I couldn’t stop trembling,” she said.
Ms. Kum was planning to visit long-unseen relatives in the U.S. when the South Korea-based Boeing BA +0.40% Boeing Co. U.S.: NYSE $137.21 +0.54 +0.40% Dec. 23, 2013 1:34 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1.50M P/E Ratio 24.08 Market Cap $102.70 Billion Dividend Yield 2.13% Rev. per Employee $488,188 12/23/13 Air India Plans to Sell, Lease… 12/21/13 Boeing Union to Vote on Contra… 12/20/13 Cathay Pacific Orders 21 Boein… More quote details and news » BA in Your Value Your Change Short position 777 airliner struck a sea wall on its approach to San Francisco and erupted in flames, killing three passengers and injuring more than 180.
A public hearing by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board held this month showed that the commander of the jet failed to respond to as many as four verbal warnings from a co-pilot as the plane descended too quickly. The probe also provided other instances of missed signals, inadequate crew communication and confusion about automated thrust settings in the cockpit before the accident.
Exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, Ms. Kum recently took a six-month sick leave from her civil service job to focus on treatment and counseling. But she still finds it difficult to get a doctor or counselor when most needed.
“Whenever there’s a flashback, I start to shiver and I want someone to talk to. But the hospital says the doctor won’t be available for two weeks. That makes me desperate,” she said.
Though the shock of a crash causes episodes of irritability, anxiety, and nightmares for survivors, the problems in most cases subside within weeks, according to experts in post-traumatic stress disorders.
But for some, including Ms. Kum, such symptoms may continue, resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD and possibly triggering bigger problems like depression.
Awareness of PTSD, which includes a range of emotional and cognitive problems lasting at least a month after a traumatic event, has risen markedly in Western countries like the U.S. over the last decade. However, in many parts of Asia, the resources to treat this illness and other psychological disorders are still lacking.
“Just a few hours of counseling won’t do any good to those people suffering from PTSD. They need extra medical care over several months, a year or more,” said Kim Min-young, a psychiatrist at Seoul National Hospital who has been treating seven Asiana crash survivors. Dr. Kim was one of several psychiatrists arranged by Asiana for the victims of the July crash.
“But there aren’t enough specialists (in Korea) to attend to them,” she said, adding that the nation needs to devote more resources to treat trauma-related disorders.
Another survivor, Kang Shin-Baek, broke his forehead and suffered cracked ribs when the Asiana jet crashed. The 42-year-old school administrator also recovered from his physical injuries, but the emotional scars and trauma continue to haunt him, and he admits he needs help.
“I live in the countryside and there is no big hospital that offers proper psychological treatment services. I get counseling from a public health center once a month, but what I get is a bunch of sleeping pills with medical advice that I need to sleep well,” he said.
Mr. Kang, who was scheduled to attend a training course in the U.S. in July, said he became so fearful of flying that he had to cancel another overseas trip in October.
In 2012, South Korea had 6,950 people who were hospitalized or visited health clinics across the nation for PTSD, a 25% increase from the 5,576 people who sought treatment in 2008, according to data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service.
The government in July opened Korea’s first medical center dedicated for PTSD patients at the Seoul National Hospital. The Ministry of Health & Welfare has said it plans to establish four more of such facilities throughout the country, but it hasn’t given a time frame.
“There’s still a prevalent perception in Korean society that psychological problems aren’t a disease that require medical treatment. Unless you get your arm or leg amputated in an accident, compensation is relatively limited,” said Im Chi-young, an attorney at local law firm Hwang Mok Park P.C.
While the July crash was the first fatal air disaster involving a South Korean passenger jet since 1997, demand for long-haul air travel from the country remains strong. Hana Tour, South Korea’s biggest travel agency, said the number of travelers booking trips to the U.S. rose 23% from a year earlier to 15,400 in the third quarter.
Still, the accident came at a time of falling profits for the nation’s airlines amid heightened competition from budget airlines and ballooning operating costs. Asiana’s third-quarter operating profit plunged 42% from a year earlier, while flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. 003490.SE +3.02% Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd. S. Korea: KRX KRW29000 +850 +3.02% Dec. 23, 2013 3:00 pm Volume : 317,704 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap KRW1663.10 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee KRW655,174,000 12/12/13 Seoul to Allow South Korean Ai… More quote details and news » 003490.SE in Your Value Your Change Short position ‘s operating profit was down 43% during the period.
To improve its brand image following the San Francisco crash, Asiana recently hired a Japanese national as its chief safety and security manager, the first foreigner to take up the post in the airline’s 25-year history.
Asiana has also said it would reinforce cockpit crew training, boost maintenance of its fleet and update its data on airports that have more difficult landing paths. To help the crash survivors meet their immediate cash needs, the carrier said in August it offered all passengers aboard the plane $10,000 each in initial compensation.
As for Ms. Kum, the crash survivor, she has developed two new habits after returning from San Francisco: keeping a diary as a way of controlling her thoughts and making sure she has enough tranquilizer pills in her pocket when she leaves home.
“The doctor tells me not to be impatient about returning to life as it was before. But when there’s a flashback, it all comes back and I lose control,” she said.
Write to In-Soo Nam at In-Soo.Nam@wsj.com

Excerpt from: Asiana Survivors Grapple With Trauma