Danwon High may be on Obama's itinerary

By Kim Tae-gyu

U.S. President Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to spend substantial time during his two-day visit to Korea later this week paying tribute to the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol, the White House has confirmed.

At issue is whether Obama will just express sympathy over the tragedy, whose death toll is feared to surpass 300, mostly teenage students, or travel to related places in person to meet with bereaved families.

As of now, Obama appears to have no plan to visit any place related to the ill-fated vessel. But a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday that he may offer his condolences at Danwon High School in Ansan or at funerals for its students in the city, just south of Seoul. Its students made up the bulk of Sewol’s 476 passengers.

“Obama will deliver his condolences during a summit with President Park Geun-hye but it remains to be seen whether he will meet with family members of the victims,” said the source who asked not to be named.

“For now, he seems to have no such schedule. But this might change.”

A government official said that the itinerary of Obama is under discussion with the foreign ministries and presidential staffs of the two countries.

“The specific schedule is not fixed, yet. But the one we received does not include a trip to Ansan,” said the official. “The schedule of Obama is up to the U.S. If he stops over anywhere in Korea related to the disaster, it might be Ansan.”

Obama, who started his first Asian trip during his second term earlier this week, is scheduled to arrive in Seoul Friday after finishing a two-day stay in Tokyo.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor for strategic communication, said that it would be a big part of Obama’s trip to console victims of ferry sinking.

“I’m sure the president will want to find a way to express to those families and to the people of the Republic of Korea how much we support them in this difficult time,” he told reporters at the White House, Monday.

He added that Obama and his advisors will keep an eye on how the search or rescue operations evolve in the days to come.

The Sewol capsized off the southwestern coast on April 16 on its way to the scenic holiday island of Jeju. After seven days of search and rescue operations, hundreds of passengers still remained unaccounted for.

Soon after the accident, Obama expressed his sympathy with the loss of life caused by the catastrophe, the worst in two decades here.

While stressing that the U.S. commitment to its ally Korea is unwavering both in good times and in bad, he demonstrated the country’s willingness to provide any help needed.

“South Korea is one of our closest allies, and American Navy personnel and U.S. Marines are already on the scene assisting with the search and rescue efforts,” he said. “I’ve directed our military to provide any and all assistance requested by our Korean partners in the days ahead.”