By Lee Kyung-min
President Moon Jae-in vowed Sunday a thorough investigation into the ferry Sewol sinking, adding the maritime disaster helped him realize the importance of “political engagement.”
People who experienced the Sewol disaster, he said, now have a far greater appreciation toward the value of life, something society should always bear in mind every time we think of the young children who died
“We became more empathetic toward the pain of others. The Sewol incident was the beginning of the candlelit rallies, which reflected the yearning for a better society, that convinced me to desperately engage in politics,” he said in a post on Facebook ahead of the fourth anniversary of the sinking, April 16, 2014.
Moon said the investigation will help bring closure to the families of those still unaccounted for.
“As soon as the recovery crews turn the ferry Sewol upright _ from the current position lying on its side_ we will begin a mission to recover the remains of victims,” he added.
President Moon also pledged support for the planned construction of a commemorative space for the victims in Hwarang Park housing an underground memorial site with victims' remains by 2020.
The politically and socially divisive issue has pitted some residents in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, against others as the city government plans to construct the underground site near the Danwon High School which most of the victims attended.
Supporters of the plan agree to build a space in the park; a move vehemently opposed by others claiming what they call a “charnel house” would only prolong the emotional distress that has haunted them over the past four years.
According to Ansan City officials and the city website, the commemorative space will be just 3.8 percent of the 620,000-square-meter Hwarang Park.
The underground memorial site, where victims' remains will be interred, will take only about 0.1 percent of the space.
Public backing of the construction followed growing demands from civic groups including the Coalition 4.16 on the Sewol Ferry Disaster, whose more than 30 members staged a rally in Hwarang Park last Tuesday.
The group urged President Moon to show just as much as willingness he did with victims of Jeju April 3 Massacre early this month.
“President Moon Jae-in, who attended a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Jeju April 3 Massacre to apologize for the state-sanctioned violence, should do the same with us for the ferry Sewol victim families and Ansan residents,” the group said.
However, opposition is just as fierce from other residents who claim they have suffered long enough and the construction is simply illegal.
Conflict is expected to escalate, with mayoral candidates in the region vying to make related campaign pledges ahead of the upcoming June 13 local elections.
Ansan mayoral candidates declared they would make the city's plan “null and void,” in a challenge to the sitting Mayor Je Jong-geel.
Candidates from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and the minor opposition Bareun Mirae Party are of the opinion the city's plan is lacking democratic procedure, debate and discussion, and is deepening a conflict among residents.
The Sewol sank off the coast of the South Jeolla Province island of Jindo, resulting in the death of over 300 passengers, mostly schoolchildren traveling to Jeju Island from Incheon.