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President Park pledges to salvage sunken ferry

April 16, 2015
South Korean President Park Geun-hye, front right, looks at foods and beverages dedicated for the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol as she arrives to offer her condolences to the bereaved relatives of the victims at a port in Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, April 16, 2015. Tears and grief mixed with raw anger Thursday as black-clad relatives mourned the 300 people, mostly high school kids, killed one year ago when the ferry Sewol sank in cold waters off the southwestern South Korean coast. (Lee Jeong-ryong/Yonhap via AP) KOREA OUT

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, front right, looks at foods and beverages dedicated for the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol as she arrives to offer her condolences to the bereaved relatives of the victims at a port in Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, April 16, 2015. Tears and grief mixed with raw anger Thursday as black-clad relatives mourned the 300 people, mostly high school kids, killed one year ago when the ferry Sewol sank in cold waters off the southwestern South Korean coast. (Lee Jeong-ryong/Yonhap via AP) KOREA OUT

ANSAN, South Korea, April 16 (Yonhap) — President Park Geun-hye Thursday vowed to raise the sunken ferry Sewol as soon as possible and to take all measures to recover the bodies of nine of the victims who remain missing.

It is the first time that Park explicitly mentioned the salvage of the ferry that sank off the southwest coast on April 16, 2014, claiming 304 lives, most of them high school students on a field trip. Research has been under way on the viability of raising the submerged vessel.

Park made the pledge while offering deep condolences to the family members of those killed in the disaster as South Korea marked the first anniversary of the tragedy with somber ceremonies across the country.

Wearing a black suit, she delivered the address on a breakwater in the southwestern port of Paengmok on Jin Island, near the shipwreck site.

The announcement comes shortly after the National Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the speedy recovery of the ferry Sewol, saying it could help heal the suffering of the victims’ families and survivors.

“I have a heavy heart and my heart aches to think how painful it is” for the family members, Park said.

Still, the president was unable to lay white chrysanthemums, a traditional flower of mourning, or burn incense at the memorial altar as its gate was blocked by a table and big photos of the nine missing people bordered in yellow.

The victims’ family members had left the port before Park arrived in an apparent sign of protest against her visit.

A ceremony in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where the students are from, was canceled at the last minute because Park “failed to show up and retract a bill that hinders a thorough probe into the disaster,” according to the family members.

“The president ignored our invitations,” Yoo Kyung-keun, who leads the victims’ relatives and is among the organizers, told thousands who showed up despite a downpour. “I read the full text of her address. None of what she said was meaningful.”

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party were barred from giving their condolences in the altar following protests from the bereaved families.

On the rainy Thursday, Ansan was bereft of banners commemorating the victims, apart from the ones hung at the entrances of local high schools, City Hall and the districts where the victims are from.

The park where the group altar is located was peaceful, though walking toward the altar, one could hear protesters shouting slogans.

They were calling on the government to cancel the bill and raise the ferry, which remains in the sea along with the missing.

Students from Danwon High School appeared at the altar in the morning, some with their heads down and hands together. All of them sported yellow ribbons in memory of those who died in the tragedy.

A friend of a victim, who only gave her surname, Kim, said she missed her friend. They didn’t go to the same school but had met through an extracurricular activity.

“I want to thank her and tell her that I love her,” the high school senior said, before bursting into tears.

An Ansan resident who identified herself only by her surname, Kim, said she hadn’t been to the altar in a year.

“I hope the victims rest in peace,” the 44-year-old said.

Inside the altar were pictures of the victims who died in the tragedy. There were 295 of them.

Some visitors have left birthday cakes and baskets full of what appeared to be the victims’ favorite snacks. There were sealed letters, though never to be opened by the people they are meant for.

Facing the altar was an outdoor exhibit of students’ portraits and artwork critical of the government’s handling of the tragedy.

In the evening, a closed-door ceremony will be held at Ansan’s Danwon High School, the alma mater of the deceased students.