(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-10 10:44

"My business is ruined," he said. "People have repeatedly called me to cancel their reservations and ask me about what's going on here."

Chun said that hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of seagulls and other birds used to come at this time of year to the beach, where tourists would feed them.

"That really looked splendid," he said. "But you see now there are no seagulls and birds at all. Seagulls don't come here because of this terrible smell."

Chun showed two dead birds coated in dark oil. He said they were mallards.

"I feel so bad and sorry for them," he said.

Some of the 7,500 volunteers who helped scoop up the oil from the beach, including civil servants and members of the coast guard, police and military, contended with headaches and nausea from the petroleum's stench.

Still others worked aboard 105 ships along South Korea's western coast trying to clean the sea, plugging the leaks in the tanker, dropping oil fences into the ocean and using chemicals to break up the slick. The nation's previous biggest spill, less than half the size of this one, was in 1995.

The South Korean government has stopped short of promising direct aid, saying any compensation would have to be paid by insurance policies covering the two ships and an international fund that covers oil pollution damage.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, however, instructed officials to help afflicted fish and seafood farmers receive quick compensation, his office said in a news release. No details were given.

Chung, the oyster farmer, said her damage would amount to $21,800, with the oil slick appearing just as oyster harvesting had begun.

She said her family had no means to restart the business.

"I can't describe how I feel now," she said. "This is what helped me raise my children and educate them.

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