By Jane Han
NEW YORK ― Korean expatriates from Los Angeles to New York have created temporary memorials in major cities across the U.S. as funerals for Sewol victims are being held back home and the exhausting search operation enters its third week.
In midtown Manhattan, an incense altar with a few pots of white flowers and a banner that reads "Wishing for the safe return of those missing'' has been set up.
"As soon as I walked into the room, the scent of incense brought tears to my eyes. Those victims, those young victims … we owe them so much,'' says Gina Kim, 33, who stopped by the memorial on her way to work Tuesday morning.
More than 100 people, mostly Korean students and office workers, came to pay tribute at the site since late last week.
Similar memorials have been set up in various locations throughout New York and New Jersey, where more than 500 people have collectively gathered to express their condolences, according to organizers.
"The community center rarely sees this much pedestrian traffic,'' says Ha Jang-bo, head of the Korean American Society of Senior Citizens of Greater New York.
"We're seeing some people who even drove hours to visit the memorial. For Koreans living overseas, it can be even more heartbreaking because we are physically so far away from home. It's a feeling of helplessness.''
In Dallas, a memorial along with a donation box has been placed at the city's Korean community center since Monday morning.
"Seeing the altar made me realize yet again what kind of tragedy our country is experiencing at this moment,'' said Kim Mi-sook, 45, who was one of the first local Koreans to visit the memorial.
On her way out, Kim wrote a message of hope and posted it on the community center's glass door, where other yellow Post-it notes and signs can be seen.
In Los Angeles, a commemorative concert was organized by local musicians on Saturday, to which more than 200 people were invited to pay tribute to the victims.
Korean student associations in California teamed up to organize a rally in front of the Los Angeles Korean Consulate General earlier this week.
Some 50 students gathered to tie and hang yellow ribbons ― a symbol of hope ― around the building as they prayed in hope of a safe return of the missing passengers.
As of Wednesday, the death toll climbed past 200 with nearly 100 still missing.
"We plan to maintain the memorial for as long as we need to. Who knows how long it will take to find all those missing? We need to give plenty of time for people to express their condolences,'' said Ha in New York.
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| Daniel Russel, U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, honors the victims from the sunken ferry Sewol during a visit to the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. / Yonhap |
In midtown Manhattan, an incense altar with a few pots of white flowers and a banner that reads "Wishing for the safe return of those missing'' has been set up.
"As soon as I walked into the room, the scent of incense brought tears to my eyes. Those victims, those young victims … we owe them so much,'' says Gina Kim, 33, who stopped by the memorial on her way to work Tuesday morning.
More than 100 people, mostly Korean students and office workers, came to pay tribute at the site since late last week.
Similar memorials have been set up in various locations throughout New York and New Jersey, where more than 500 people have collectively gathered to express their condolences, according to organizers.
"The community center rarely sees this much pedestrian traffic,'' says Ha Jang-bo, head of the Korean American Society of Senior Citizens of Greater New York.
"We're seeing some people who even drove hours to visit the memorial. For Koreans living overseas, it can be even more heartbreaking because we are physically so far away from home. It's a feeling of helplessness.''
In Dallas, a memorial along with a donation box has been placed at the city's Korean community center since Monday morning.
"Seeing the altar made me realize yet again what kind of tragedy our country is experiencing at this moment,'' said Kim Mi-sook, 45, who was one of the first local Koreans to visit the memorial.
On her way out, Kim wrote a message of hope and posted it on the community center's glass door, where other yellow Post-it notes and signs can be seen.
In Los Angeles, a commemorative concert was organized by local musicians on Saturday, to which more than 200 people were invited to pay tribute to the victims.
Korean student associations in California teamed up to organize a rally in front of the Los Angeles Korean Consulate General earlier this week.
Some 50 students gathered to tie and hang yellow ribbons ― a symbol of hope ― around the building as they prayed in hope of a safe return of the missing passengers.
As of Wednesday, the death toll climbed past 200 with nearly 100 still missing.
"We plan to maintain the memorial for as long as we need to. Who knows how long it will take to find all those missing? We need to give plenty of time for people to express their condolences,'' said Ha in New York.
