Sewol families vow to stay on Jindo

By Lee Kyung-min

The relatives of nine Sewol ferry passengers still listed as missing have vowed to stay on Jindo until the sunken ship is salvaged.

They strongly denounced the government for disbanding a task force that led rescue operations and was assigned to provide support for the families, who have been camping out at Paengmok Port since the April 16 sinking of the ferry.

They also urged the government to raise the ship as soon as possible.

“The bodies of the missing might still be found in a corner of the ferry,” Yoo Kyung-keun, who represents the families, told reporters Tuesday.

“Our last hopes are retrieving the ferry as safely as possible, and a thorough investigation to find out the truth about the tragedy.”

The comments came amid rumors that the government may give up salvaging the ship due to the huge cost, something it has denied. The search officially ended last week and the government withdrew all divers working at the site.

“Giving up raising the ship would be tantamount to destroying crucial evidence in an unsolved case,” Yoo said.

“We cannot let go of hope. We will stay here even if the government uses violence to forcefully take us away.”

Yoo said the families have doubts about the impact of bills recently approved by the National Assembly to discover the truth behind the tragedy and provide compensation to victims’ families.