South Korean President attends memorial service for victims of SEWOL ferry sinking

On April 16, South Korean President Park Geun-hye attended a memorial service for those killed and missing in the SEWOL ferry sinking a year ago that killed hundreds of students and teachers at a South Korean high school.

The ceremony was held at Paengmok port, near the site of the accident. The memorial activities were coordinated by local authorities, 300 private organizations, families of the victims and survivors.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and officials attend a memorial service for victims on Jindo Island on April 16. (Source: Yonhap)

This is the most serious maritime accident in the history of South Korea. Of the 325 students from a high school in Ansan city, Gyeonggi province, who were on board the ferry, only 75 were rescued. The total number of victims confirmed dead is 304, of which 295 bodies have been found and 9 people are still missing at the time the rescue operation ended.

In a related development on the same day, South Korean lawmakers passed a resolution calling for the salvage of the Sewol ferry, following requests from families of victims and survivors of the disaster.

At the regular session, 161 parliamentarians voted in favor of the above resolution, two voted against and two abstained.

The resolution stated that salvaging the SEWOL ferry is a way to heal the wounds of those who are missing, those who survived, as well as the families of the victims who died in this disaster.

MPs called on the government to quickly finalise the salvage recommendation and implement the plan.

Previously, the victims' families and survivors had requested that the ferry be quickly salvaged because they believed this would help clarify the accident.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the cost of salvaging the Sewol ferry is estimated at 120 billion won (about 110 million USD), and could be even higher if weather conditions are unfavorable.

The Sewol Victims' Families Committee also requested the cancellation of the government's March 27 decree establishing a commission to investigate the incident, saying the document would hinder the discovery of the truth because it undermined the commission's independence.

Previously, the committee was limited in its scope to analyzing and reviewing the government's previous investigative findings.

According to the latest information, President Park has agreed to salvage the ferry "at the earliest possible time"./.

According to VNA