Dingo Studios and Sunmi surprised Sewol Ferry tragedy survivor Jang Ae Jin with a special night she’ll never forget.
On the cusp of the third anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy, Dingo Studios and Sunmi set out to surprise Jang Ae Jin, a 21-year-old college student and survivor of the Sewol Ferry incident.
Jang Ae Jin is majoring in emergency health services and during the day, she can be seen learning how to draw blood and perform CPR, two necessary skills required for any rescue operation. As she left the university campus, Sunmi surprised Jang Ae Jin with an invitation for a coffee date.
Having accepted the invitation, Jang Ae Jin talked about her day, which included an exam that she believed that she at least did not do badly on.
During the conversation, in response to a question from Sunmi, Jang Ae Jin revealed why she decided to major in emergency health services.
“I originally wanted to major in early childhood education. But in 2014, our school went on a trip, and there was an accident on the boat. After that, I learned more about emergency services and realized that I could help people in the early stages of an incident. That’s why I chose it. I want to return the favor for all the help I received during the [Sewol Ferry sinking] incident.”
— Jang Ae Jin
Sunmi recalled how she had felt that day, watching along with the entire country, praying that more passengers on the boat would be rescued. The country was stuck in a state of waiting, she said.
Jang Ae Jin talked about the orders from the captain and crew of the ship, saying that they told everyone to stay put in their cabins, and all the students listened. Soon, however, water started flooding the rooms and the cabinets started falling over, and the reports that rescue was on the way ended up being false.
Sunmi couldn’t hold back her tears while listening to Jang Ae Jin’s answer to her question of who she thinks about the most after the tragedy.
“It’s the 3rd anniversary of the event now and, honestly, I think about my friends [who passed away] the most. I used to just think cherry blossoms were pretty but, since the event, I’ve been looking at them and thinking of my friends instead. If they were still alive, they could be taking pictures and enjoying the cherry blossoms blooming too.”
— Jang Ae Jin
After hearing Jang Ae Jin’s story, Sunmi couldn’t help but praise her for her strength in speaking on the subject, and she hopes that the full truth gets revealed in the future. Jang Ae Jin humbly credited her braveness to her friends, saying that without them, she would not have been able to speak out about the incident and her desire to know the truth behind what happened. Both Sunmi and Jang Ae Jin agreed that the citizens of Korea should never forget the tragedy that was the Sewol Ferry Disaster.
At the end of their day together, they exchanged gifts. Sunmi received Jang Ae Jin’s yellow ribbon bracelet in memory of the victims of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy and Sunmi gave Jang Ae Jin clothes that she had personally picked out.
Watch the full episode below:
