Authorities to right ferry Sewol

By Kim Se-jeong

The committee responsible for recovering human remains and other remnants from the sunken ferry Sewol said it will reposition the ferry so that it can stand upright.

Currently, the ferry is lying on its side at Mokpo New Port.

The committee said the reason for repositioning is to enable the completion of the search for the missing remains of five passengers and to have a better look into the control room and engine room where crucial hints for the ship’s sudden sinking are believed to be.

Because of its current position, rescue crews are facing limits on exploring the ferry. Reportedly, they also face the challenge of mud that is still in many areas of the vessel.

The current position doesn’t guarantee the safety of search crews who’ve been working inside the ship for months now, the committee added.

The ferry will be sent back to the waters on a barge where cranes will be mobilized to lift and move it. The committee estimates the process will take about two months, costing 680 million won ($6 million).

The new plan is expected to put pressure on the committee whose mandate will expire in May next year. The committee is optimistic that things can be done within the given time.

The family of the five missing passengers welcomed the committee’s decision.

The ferry carrying 476 passengers capsized and sank in waters off Jindo on the southwestern coast. Many passengers were students on a school excursion to Jeju Island.

The incident killed 304 passengers and five bodies still remain missing.

The government’s slow response and delayed salvage outraged many ordinary Koreans who took their anger to the streets in anti-government protests last year. President Park Geun-hye was removed from power in March this year.

The salvage effort began in March this year, almost three years after the incident occurred.

The ferry salvage mission coincided with Park’s removal from office.

At Mokpo New Port, the search mission supervised by a special commission recovered remains of four missing passengers, in addition to passenger belongings and vehicles.