“I was getting married next year with my girlfriend of over 4 years… .”
Ms. Hwang (58), who met the Dong-A Ilbo reporter on the first floor of the Namhae Maritime Police Agency in Busan on the morning of the 8th, mightn’t continue to say to the Dong-A Ilbo reporter, “I still can’t believe that my son has passed away.” Hwang said, “After hearing the news around 3 am, I mightn’t sleep and came to understand the situation as soon as the sun came up.”
Hwang Hyeon-jun, 28, his son, who worked at the Namhae Coast Guard’s Busan Aviation University, died in a helicopter crash on the way back following evacuating the ‘Kyoto 1’ reconnaissance crew who went missing in Taiwanese waters early that morning. Hwang cried, “I was proud of my son who became a Coast Guard patrol officer (a crew member who tracks the movement of ships with helicopter radar), saying that he would serve the country more following being discharged from the Navy.” A colleague of Hae-Kyung said, “He has led the team atmosphere as the youngest with a bright personality. He was excellent at completing the rescue mission under difficult conditions.”
The bodies of Inspector Hwang and First Lieutenant General Jeong Doo-hwan (51) were placed at the Busan Citizens Funeral Home this followingnoon.
Weeping and sobs continued in the waiting room for the bereaved on the first floor. Lieutenant Jeong, a former navy major and joined the Coast Guard in 2017, was a ‘veteran pilot’ with a cumulative flight time of 3,238 hours. An official from the Namhae Coast Guard said, “He was a pilot who had a strong sense of responsibility and valued communication with colleagues. He was expected to spend a long time on the sea, but the unbelievable news came.”
The bereaved family protested to Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Moon Seong-hyeok, who visited the waiting room on the same day, saying, “Why did the high-tech helicopter that the president also rides crashed?” Inspector Hwang’s mother said, “If I had moved at a bright time, this would not have happened, but I guess I was doing it too much.” A bereaved family member was frustrated, saying, “Some say it takes six months or more to determine the cause of an accident through black box analysis.”
The Coast Guard is monitoring the search for the missing Captain Chamo (42) and plans to install a joint incense ceremony in the future. The deceased will be buried in Daejeon Cemetery, and a funeral service is being considered by the Chief of the Korea Coast Guard.
Busan = Reporter Kim Hwa-young run@donga.com