More than 20 million tourists visit the area each year, providing an economic boost to nearly 64,000 nearby residents, who depend heavily on fishing and seafood farming.
Raw-fish restaurant owner Kim Eung-ku, of Mallipo, was helping with the cleanup but said he feared the situation was hopeless.
"We have no choice but to leave this place," he said. "This ocean is dead."
Tourism
Tourists have been canceling their reservations, said Chun Kwang-ho, who runs a 10-room motel nearby.
"My business is ruined," he said.
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.
Cleaning Up
More volunteers aboard 105 ships along South Korea's western coast were 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 30-year-old business.
"I can't describe how I feel now," she said. "This is what helped me raise my children and educate them.
____
Associated Press writer Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
Free Email News Updates
Sign up for our Inside National Geographic newsletter. Every two weeks we'll send you our top stories and pictures (see sample).
