Sewol Ferry Disaster Aftermath
Translated by Park Eunyoung and Kim Dong-hun
One more body was recovered on October 29, 2014, which was later identified to be Hwang Ji-hyun, a student from Danwon High School. She was found on her birthday. There are still nine bodies to be found. However, the government has decided to end the maritime search operation and is now considering how to salvage the sunken Sewol ferry.
The Gwangju Citizen Sangju group, which has committed to mourning the loss of the Sewol Ferry disaster for three years, embarked on a 1,000-day-long pilgrimage around Gwangju on November 15, with plans to end on August 11, 2017. The pilgrimage was started under the slogan “Building 100 Safe Towns in Gwangju” and “Seeking the Truth of the Sewol Ferry Disaster for the Safer Society in the Future” in hopes of encouraging local citizens and organizations to participate in the cause.
The special Sewol Bill, aimed at addressing issues surrounding the Sewol Ferry disaster, was issued at the Plenary Session of the National Assembly on November 7. According to the Sewol Bill, the Special Investigation Committee will investigate the disaster for up to 18 months. If necessary, an accompanying warrant will be issued to witnesses. Bereaved families noted that the bill was not enough, but they have accepted it in the hopes of finding out the truth about the disaster.
Marking November 1 as the 200th day since the disaster, the Gwangju Citizen Sangju group and the Committee of Bereaved Families of the Sewol Ferry Disaster held a cultural event under the theme “Ruminating on the Memory of Sewol Ferry Disaster” at the Paengmok Harbor on Jindo. Residents of Gwangju traveled to the event on six buses. In total, roughly 500 people attended the event.
In remembrance of the disaster, a five-meter high yellow ribbon-shaped sculpture was placed at the Paengmok Harbor during the festival. A pole was also erected to symbolically safeguard the truth, along with a memorial chair and a dinner table. The Gwangsan Nanum Culture Foundation and the local residents in Gwangju raised 27 million won to fund the event and the yellow ribbon-shaped sculpture.
The captain of the Sewol ferry was sentenced to 36 years at a public trial, held at the Gwangju District Court on November 11, 2014. The first mate, second mate and chief engineer were each sentenced to 15-20 years in prison. Another 11 crew members were sentenced to serve 5 to 10 years in prison.