SOUTH KOREA-FERRY/500 DAYS-MEMORIAL South Korea holds memorial to mark 500 days since deadly ferry sinking

Record ID: 135710

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA-FERRY/500 DAYS-MEMORIAL South Korea holds memorial to mark 500 days since deadly ferry sinking
  • Date: 28th August 2015
  • Summary: FAMILY MEMBERS OF VICTIMS HOLDING BANNERS READING (Korean): "Please don't forget, truth will not sink"
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2TI8T615V867VP2DZLGM0I2FQ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hundreds gathered in Ansan, the outskirts of Seoul, on Friday (August 28) to mark 500 days since the sinking of a ferry which killed more than 300 people.
    The ferry Sewol, on April 16, 2014, which was structurally unsound, overloaded and travelling too fast on a turn, capsized and sank during a routine voyage and lies 44 metres (144 feet) deep off the southwestern island of Jindo.
    Only 172 of the 476 passengers and crew members were rescued.
    Of those killed, 250 were teenagers on a school trip, many of whom obeyed crew instructions to remain in their cabins even as crew members were seen on TV escaping the sinking vessel.
    The memorial, attended by victims' relatives, was held in Ansan, hometown of most of the dead.
    "I thought we need an opportunity that people can relate to. That's why we decided to hold the 500 days memorial event. This is about remembering as a memorial service," father of ferry accident victim, Choi Kyung-deok, who organized the event, said.
    "I really appreciate people for remembering and counting days how much time passed. It's already been a 500 days (since the accident happened). As a family member of victim, nothing has been changed. I still wait for my son to come back home," mother of ferry victim, Kim Sung-sil, added.
    Earlier in the day, mourners visited an official memorial altar in Ansan, and laid flowers as a mark of respect and in remembrance of the victims.
    On April 28, a South Korean appeals court found the captain of the ferry Sewol, Lee Joon-seok, guilty of homicide and sentenced him to life in prison, overturning an earlier conviction for negligence.
    South Korean government on August 19 kicked off underwater operation to salvage the ferry, which was a central demand of victims' families. Nine of the victims' bodies still remain missing.
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