By Kim Bo-eun
A thousand days after the sinking of the ferry Sewol, the disaster is still a controversy with survivors and victims' families saying they continue to suffer as their suspicions remain unanswered.
The sinking killed 304 passengers, most of them students of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on a school excursion. Nine passengers remain unaccounted for and the Sewol still lies on the seabed off the southern Jin Island.
Monday marked the 1,000th day since the maritime disaster occurred on April 16, 2014, with events commemorating it held across the nation.
Civic groups hosted a commemorative event at Paengmok Harbor on Jin Island, where the family members of the nine victims who are not accounted for have stayed for over two years since the tragedy occurred.
Participants flew nine yellow kites with the names of the unaccounted at 4:16 p.m., with hopes that their remains will be recovered.
They also held a discussion, calling for prompt salvaging of the Sewol to find the bodies and to inspect the ferry to help determine the exact cause of the sinking.
In Ansan, a civic group representing the bereaved families held a concert, where poet Shin Kyun-rim recited a commemorative poem and rock singer Jeon In-kwon performed.
Meanwhile, progress of the investigation into the Sewol tragedy is slow.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries initially said it would complete the salvaging of the ferry by July 2016.
However, it pushed back the completion of the job several times, to before the end of 2016 and now to between April and June this year, citing weather conditions and the technology required for the salvaging.
A special committee investigating the Sewol disaster was disbanded last September when its designated investigation period ended.
The committee fought with the government, which it accused of attempting to limit its authority to investigate as well as the time frame and boundaries of its probe.
Bereaved families are also calling for the truth to be unveiled over Cheong Wa Dae's belated and inept response to the disaster. They say the investigators should find out what President Park Geun-hye was doing during the seven hours after the ferry started sinking — although Cheong Wa Dae said she was receiving reports and giving orders about rescue operations, suspicions linger that she was receiving cosmetic treatment during that time.
Last month, the families, along with civic groups, drew up their own committee to investigate the disaster. The committee will conduct research on salvaging the ferry, the punishment of those responsible, and carry out activities to promote safety education to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
A thousand days after the sinking of the ferry Sewol, the disaster is still a controversy with survivors and victims' families saying they continue to suffer as their suspicions remain unanswered.
The sinking killed 304 passengers, most of them students of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on a school excursion. Nine passengers remain unaccounted for and the Sewol still lies on the seabed off the southern Jin Island.
Monday marked the 1,000th day since the maritime disaster occurred on April 16, 2014, with events commemorating it held across the nation.
Civic groups hosted a commemorative event at Paengmok Harbor on Jin Island, where the family members of the nine victims who are not accounted for have stayed for over two years since the tragedy occurred.
Participants flew nine yellow kites with the names of the unaccounted at 4:16 p.m., with hopes that their remains will be recovered.
They also held a discussion, calling for prompt salvaging of the Sewol to find the bodies and to inspect the ferry to help determine the exact cause of the sinking.
In the southwestern city of Gwangju, a civic group held a press conference at the square that commemorates the May 18 Uprising.
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In Ansan, a civic group representing the bereaved families held a concert, where poet Shin Kyun-rim recited a commemorative poem and rock singer Jeon In-kwon performed.
Meanwhile, progress of the investigation into the Sewol tragedy is slow.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries initially said it would complete the salvaging of the ferry by July 2016.
However, it pushed back the completion of the job several times, to before the end of 2016 and now to between April and June this year, citing weather conditions and the technology required for the salvaging.
A special committee investigating the Sewol disaster was disbanded last September when its designated investigation period ended.
The committee fought with the government, which it accused of attempting to limit its authority to investigate as well as the time frame and boundaries of its probe.
Bereaved families are also calling for the truth to be unveiled over Cheong Wa Dae's belated and inept response to the disaster. They say the investigators should find out what President Park Geun-hye was doing during the seven hours after the ferry started sinking — although Cheong Wa Dae said she was receiving reports and giving orders about rescue operations, suspicions linger that she was receiving cosmetic treatment during that time.
Last month, the families, along with civic groups, drew up their own committee to investigate the disaster. The committee will conduct research on salvaging the ferry, the punishment of those responsible, and carry out activities to promote safety education to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
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