A state of disaster has been declared for the western coastal region of Korea due to an oil spill in Taean County (69 miles southwest of Seoul). About 94 miles of coastline has been affected causing it to be the worst spill in the country's history. The damage occured when a Hong Kong registered tanker hit an 11,800 ton barge last Friday morning, causing about 10,500 tons of oil to be dumped into the Yellow Sea.
The quotes from the local sea farmers are heartbreaking:
Kim Pil-Moon: "My mind is darker than this oil on the beach. I don’t know to where to earn my living from now on." BusinessWorld Online
Kim Bong-Bu, an 83-year-old fisherman: "The black oil has taken away the sea I made my living out of, the one that let me send my children and my grandchildren to school for years." BusinessWorld Online
An organization has been set up for expats to lend a helping hand. A lot of foreigners from Daejeon are planning on taking a trip this weekend to help with the spill. I have to work this weekend, but this is definitely something I want to get involved in once the madness of the holidays are over.
Resources:
The Korean Times
BusinessWorld Online
The Raw Story
1 comment:
Awwwwww...that poor starfish.
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