The third anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster
“The light will prevail over the dark, the truth will prevail over the lie, the truth will never sink, we will never give up.” Like the lyrics of the song “The Truth Will Never Sink” that people sing at Gwanghwamun Square shows, the third anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster has a special meaning to many people.
It was the third anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, which resulted many deaths of innocent people and saddened the whole country. Sewol ferry was carrying 476 passengers, who were mostly high school students on a field trip to Jeju Island, when it ran aground and capsized on April 16, 2014. Only 172 passengers were rescued and some people are still missing. In 2014, the state prosecutors concluded that a combination of overloaded freight, displacement of cargo, and an illegal modification of the ferry, as well as having unskilled helmsmen at the wheel were the causes of the disaster. Victims’ grieving families have difficulty containing their anguish and sadness as there are many questions left unanswered behind what caused the Sewol ferry to sink and why the government failed to save so many.
Marking the anniversary, there were many HGU students spent their time in remember of the Sewol ferry disaster, and reflecting this. Some people of the university join to cherish the Sewol ferry, through the Facebook page “People in Handong Who Remember the Sewol Ferry.” A manager of the page said, “The memorial of the Sewol ferry is meant to express the mind to share the pain of the victims. Furthermore, it represents that we will remember the many questions and troubles that Sewol ferry has thrown into our society. It shows our determination to endeavor and to have a sense of responsibility towards the pursuit of value that the lyrics of the ‘The Truth Will Never Sink’ expressed.”
They set up many “Exhibitions of Memory” at the campus, such as painting the yellow ribbon that represents the Sewol ferry anniversary on the road and stairs, tying the ribbons to the rope fences, hanging poetry that represents memory of the victims on the trees, and setting the board of postcards in front of the library. They gave opportunity to remember memories of Sewol ferry for people who struggle for their life, and are going through the busy exam period.
People who remember Sewol ferry
“I think this accident will remain as a great shock to the young people living in the Korean society, and reflecting this, there are phrases such as “The Sewol Ferry Generation”. The Sewol ferry disaster is thought to be the most decisive event that reveals the corruption and inner problems of the present Korean society,” said the manager of “People in Handong Who Remember the Sewol Ferry.” “The process of demanding its truth (though it is not over yet) gave us an opportunity to think about what the value that our society really needs to pursue,” the manager continued, saying about what are the attitudes HGU students should have. “As a university student, who is an intellectual store up much knowledge in society, we have to think about what the knowledge we accumulate every day is for. I think learning is to expand my boundaries and limitations and to imagine the world of others. In that sense, I think the attitude that we can take is to imagine and feel sympathy for the sadness of the victims and the frustration and sorrow of the bereaved families. Furthermore, I think that we need courage to fight against those who try to hide the truth.”
According to a random survey from 10 international students conducted anonymously to understand international students’ views about Sewol ferry disaster, all of the participants said they have heard about Sewol ferry disaster, or know about circumstances of the incident. Many international students said that they think that accident is a tragedy, which is sad and terrible. “It is really controversial the government waited that much to withstand the ferry. The government should have taken this matter more seriously, and have to give all answers to the families,” one student said. Some blamed the captain of the Sewol ferry, said, “I have no compassion of captain,” or “I cannot understand how has captain survived while many blameless children were dying.” And there was a student said the accident don’t emotionally affects them as much as Korean students, because they were not in Korea when it happened. Diverse opinions were expressed about Sewol ferry accident.
About Korea’s memorial culture or the anniversary of the Sewol ferry accident, many international students express their positive views on remembering the accident. Some of the people who support the anniversary said, “I think it is a great way to honor and remember the people who were killed in the accident. It shows just how greatly the people in Korea were effected by the incident,” “It is necessary, as it is a big accident and mistake in nowadays,” “It’s important that everyone remember the tragedy to better avoid it in the future.” On the other hand, some had a different opinion. “I think the accident is in the past. We don't need to make big events about a tragedy since it only brings sad memories and feelings back,” one student said.
Hye Eon Kim, Guest Reporter