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Danwon vice principal found hanged, was a ferry survivor

April 18, 2014

By Nam Hyun-woo

Danwon High school’s faculty members, including the principal got down on their knees to ask for forgiveness inside the Jindo Gymnasium. (Yonhap)

Danwon High school’s faculty members, including the principal, got down on their knees to ask for forgiveness inside the Jindo Gymnasium. / Yonhap

The vice president of Danwon High School, who was rescued from the sunken ferry Sewol along with some students, was found dead in an apparent suicide Friday.

Police said officers found the dead body of the senior teacher, surnamed Kang, 52, hanging from a tree on a hill near a gymnasium on Jindo Island where family members were waiting for news of missing students.

A hand-written suicide note was found in his wallet.

“I can’t live on without knowing whether my students are alive or not. Please let me take all the responsibility as I pressed ahead with the field trip. Burn my body and scatter it on the site of the sinking,” it read.

Police learnt he was missing after he returned from questioning by the Coast Guard at around 9 p.m., Thursday.

He reportedly tried to apologize to parents and family members of the missing students with his fellow teachers, but this was rejected.

Kang accompanied the students as head teacher on the four-day trip to Jeju Island. Despite surviving the accident he reportedly told teachers that he felt responsible for not saving the other students.

He was appointed to the school about a month ago.