10 years on, families of Sewol tragedy victims fight for answers

Relatives of those who died in ferry sinking seek govt apology before memories fade

- Wendy Teo

Every April, as the streets of South Korea are carpeted with the delicate pink petals of falling cherry blossoms, Madam Kim Soon-sil feels an unbearable sadness.

The pink flowers remind her of her daily routine 10 years ago, when she would walk her 17-yearold daughter Jin Yun-hee home from school and they would chat about the latter's day at school.

It was on such a spring day on April 16, 2014, that Madam Kim lost Yun-hee in the Sewol ferry tragedy, in which 304 out of 476 passengers and crew died when the vessel capsized off Jindo island in the country's south-west.

Most of the victims were Yunhee's schoolmates from Danwon High School in Ansan city, who were on a school trip to the resort island of Jeju. The students were instructed to stay put in their cabins as the ferry was sinking, and they died waiting for the rescue that never came.

Ten years on, family members of the Sewol victims like Madam Kim are still grieving for the lost children. They want answers and are pushing for a formal apology from the government before time fades memories.

Mr Kim Jong-gi, whose 18-yearold daughter was among the victims, told foreign media at a press conference on April 15: "We are worried about the Sewol ferry memories being erased before the truth is revealed." His daughter Kim Soo-jin was the youngest of three girls.

Results of investigations, released in 2018, failed to determine the cause of the sinking, although factors such as illegal modifications to the vessel, overloading of cargo by three times the limit and human error likely contributed to the sinking, according to the probe.