By Chung Ah-young
Families of 208, or 68 percent of the 304 victims who died or went missing during the Sewol ferry sinking last year, have filed for compensation with the government over the last six months.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that it has finished the compensation application process based on the Sewol Special Act which went into effect on March 29.
Under this special law, the government received applications for compensation for six months through Sept. 30. Those who failed or refused to file for compensation during the cited period are expected to rely on civil lawsuits.
The Sewol ferry sank on April 16 last year, leaving 304 people dead, including nine whose bodies have not been recovered. Most of the victims were students at Danwon High School on a school trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.
The government admitted the state's responsibility for the accident because the disaster exposed the nation's poor safety standards and the government's mismanagement of the rescue operation.
Among the applications of the 208 families of the victims, 155 were for Danwon students which included the nine bodies not recovered.
Survivors from the accident also sought compensation. Among 157 survivors, 140 _ including 59 Danwon students and 81 others _ or 89 percent, submitted applications for compensation.
According to the special act, the compensation for each deceased student is set at 420 million won ($397,799) and compensation for dead teachers, 760 million won. The damages for other victims and survivors will differ according to their age and jobs, but total compensation may reach 100 billion won, according to the ministry.
So far, the government has paid 47.2 billion won in compensation to people affected by the accident, including victims' families who applied in the early stage of the application period, and residents and fishermen near the site of the sinking whose daily work was disrupted by months-long search and rescue operations.
The ministry plans to complete compensation payments by the end of this year after reviewing the applications.
"We will hold the review committee meeting twice a month to finish the process by
the end of the year," a ministry official said.
In a separate move, families of 111 victims and 20 survivors have filed a lawsuit against the government and Chonghaejin Marine, the operator of the ill-fated ferry Sewol, holding the government responsible.
Fifteen of them have applied for government compensation as well, along with filing the lawsuit.
To respond to the legal action, the government will launch a taskforce consisting of lawyers from the Korean Legal Aid Corporation and from private law firms.
Families of 208, or 68 percent of the 304 victims who died or went missing during the Sewol ferry sinking last year, have filed for compensation with the government over the last six months.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that it has finished the compensation application process based on the Sewol Special Act which went into effect on March 29.
Under this special law, the government received applications for compensation for six months through Sept. 30. Those who failed or refused to file for compensation during the cited period are expected to rely on civil lawsuits.
The Sewol ferry sank on April 16 last year, leaving 304 people dead, including nine whose bodies have not been recovered. Most of the victims were students at Danwon High School on a school trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.
The government admitted the state's responsibility for the accident because the disaster exposed the nation's poor safety standards and the government's mismanagement of the rescue operation.
Among the applications of the 208 families of the victims, 155 were for Danwon students which included the nine bodies not recovered.
Survivors from the accident also sought compensation. Among 157 survivors, 140 _ including 59 Danwon students and 81 others _ or 89 percent, submitted applications for compensation.
According to the special act, the compensation for each deceased student is set at 420 million won ($397,799) and compensation for dead teachers, 760 million won. The damages for other victims and survivors will differ according to their age and jobs, but total compensation may reach 100 billion won, according to the ministry.
So far, the government has paid 47.2 billion won in compensation to people affected by the accident, including victims' families who applied in the early stage of the application period, and residents and fishermen near the site of the sinking whose daily work was disrupted by months-long search and rescue operations.
The ministry plans to complete compensation payments by the end of this year after reviewing the applications.
"We will hold the review committee meeting twice a month to finish the process by
the end of the year," a ministry official said.
In a separate move, families of 111 victims and 20 survivors have filed a lawsuit against the government and Chonghaejin Marine, the operator of the ill-fated ferry Sewol, holding the government responsible.
Fifteen of them have applied for government compensation as well, along with filing the lawsuit.
To respond to the legal action, the government will launch a taskforce consisting of lawyers from the Korean Legal Aid Corporation and from private law firms.
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