A foreigner mourns the deadly Itaewon crowd crush near the accident site on Nov. 2, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — A number of foreign nationals in South Korea are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing or hearing about the deadly Itaewon crowd crush.
They are currently sharing information through online communities to get help.
“There are a lot of foreigners going through PTSD at the moment,” a local immigration organization said. “They don’t want to talk about it since it is a sensitive matter, but we need to take special care of them.”
Some recommended that others join the Nami Island tour program provided by the Korea Tourism Organization to overcome the trauma.
“We were able to overcome our trauma by talking about the victims with people we can trust,” said a social worker from the Netherlands.
“Now, it is important not to suppress your feelings. You might seem okay now, but it will turn out worse later.”
“Immigrants may lack this information. If you know any foreigners affected by what happened in Itaewon, you should try asking them how they feel, and talk to them,” the Dutch social worker said.
“They will feel a lot better just by having someone to talk about their feelings.”
In the private sector, immigrants are joining in solidarity to fight PTSD.
A counseling clinic run by a social worker from Canada held a seminar on the trauma caused by the Itaewon crowd crush, creating an opportunity for participants to share their feelings.
The clinic also runs other psychological counseling and life coaching sessions.
AHS, a foreign psychological counseling center that has operated in South Korea for more than 10 years, will provide free counseling sessions for the victims every Wednesday for a month.
An American non-profit organization also opened up a program to invite people to share their feelings about the recent tragedy, and overcome psychological trauma through sharing.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
