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 who died and went missing in the SEWOL ferry disaster a year ago, which killed hundreds of students and teachers from a South Korean high school.

The ceremony was held at Paengmok port, near the accident site. The memorial activities were conducted by the local government in coordination with 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 was the most serious maritime accident in South Korean history. Of the 325 high school students from Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province, on board the ferry, only 75 were rescued. The total number of confirmed fatalities was 304, of which 295 bodies had been recovered and 9 remained missing at the time the rescue operation concluded.

In a related development on the same day, South Korean lawmakers passed a resolution calling for the salvage of the SEWOL ferry, at the request of the families of the victims and survivors of the disaster.

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

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

Lawmakers are urging the government to quickly reach a final conclusion on the salvage recommendation and implement the plan.

Earlier, the families of the victims and survivors had requested that the ferry be salvaged quickly, believing that this would help shed light on the accident.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the estimated cost to salvage the SEWOL ferry is 120 billion won (approximately $110 million), and could be even higher if weather conditions remain unfavorable.

The SEWOUL Victims' Committee also requested the annulment of the government's March 27 decree establishing a commission to investigate the incident, arguing that the document hinders the search for the truth because it undermines the commission's independence.

Previously, this committee's scope of investigation was limited to analyzing and reviewing the government's previous investigative findings.

According to the latest information, President Park has agreed to have the ferry salvaged "as soon as possible."

According to VNA