Visitors can book a 20-minute slot online to read out loud from seven books of poetry. Some families have disintegrated in divorce. Lee Hye-kyung found her teenage sons body a little more than two weeks after a South Korean ferry that was carrying him and more than 400 people sank off of the southern coast of the country. After this accident Korean society has been divided, she says. Before that, she had camped out in front of the presidential office in Seoul for three long winter months, demanding an answer to whether official negligence during the rescue operation contributed to the death of her son. At the two year anniversary of the tragedy last month, memorials were held across the country in memory of the lives lost. They bowed in silence and a few people bowed down formally, lowering their heads and bodies to the floor. He created Breathing Flower, a large, black lotus installed outside the official government alter next to the museum. 'Our Jung-hoon is a nice kid,' read one message, left on a door. One said they tried to correct the ferry's listing early on but 'various devices, such as the balance weight, didn't work. The ship turned upside down as it sank, so just imagine a room that is flipped, said Hwang, who doesnt participate in dives himself but is closely involved in every other part of the operation. The families wanted to appeal to the Korean society that these childrenhad real existences [and] lived a life as normal as yours, he says. Yellow ribbons are posted on each desk, a symbol of hope and solidarity. His Drought series in the exhibition depicts police water cannon, directed at people protesting against. government ineffectualness in the Sewol investigations and farmers rights inGwanghwamun in central Seoul. Sindae Kang built an algorithm based on keywords related to the ferry disaster for his 0416 Real-time . Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Pictures hang in the bedroom of Jung Hwi-beom. Divers swam through cold, murky waters into the sunken ferry today, feeling for children's bodies with their hands in a maze of cabins, corridors and upturned decks. 'Everything is conducted behind closed doors and the families are not permitted to observe the recovery operation,' said Jung Seong-Wook, who acts as a families' representative for the salvage project. Pushing for answers is crucial, Hong believes. Trans swimmer Lia Thomas is now telling women what feminism is - and if we protest then we're bigots. Right-wing, pro-government groups depict the victims families as clamouring for financial compensation and reject calls for a deeper probe as a. . The ship was raised last week after almost three years on the sea floor and put onto a platform to be towed to port. She lost her only son in the ferry sinking. Lee says it was important to feature well-known artists. Others stand red-eyed and shell-shocked. Bodies appear suddenly, floating by in the murky Early on Tuesday, South Korean officials said bones had come out of a window of a passenger room during work to drain the ship. The highly complex mission to dredge up the 6,825 tonne vessel was one of the key demands by families to the government, whose lax regulations were blamed for its sinking. Ansan families called multiple rounds of government investigations a whitewash because they never properly investigated the role of official incompetence and none of the top officials they held responsible have gone to prison. Over time, the national tragedy grew more politicised as many considered it a symbol of deeper dysfunctions hidden beneath the countrys image of economic prosperity. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, A combination picture shows Kim Mi-hwa, mother of Bin Ha-yong, a high school student who died in the Sewol ferry disaster, as she poses for a photograph in her sons room, as well as details of objects, in Ansan April 7, 2015. Kim expressed frustration with South Korea for the disaster, but she said, I hope our children grow up well and lead our country in a right direction. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Kim Youn-sil, mother of Jeong Cha-woong, a high school student who died in the Sewol ferry disaster, poses for a photograph in her sons room, as well as details of objects, in Ansan April 8, 2015. The ensuing rescue operations were mismanaged and t, only rescued those who had evacuated the sinking vessel. Flowers, letters and pictures to offer condolences for the students and teachers who died are laid neatly across the desks and walls. The grim news comes as thousands of mourners visited a temporary memorial to pay their respects to the hundreds of victims from a single high school in the South Korea ferry disaster. WebReuters JINDO, South Korea Divers grope their way slowly through the dark corridors and cabins of the sunken Sewol ferry. An said funerals are held every morning, and funeral processions continue all the way to the student's classroom, led by a relative holding the student's picture. In mid-June, South Korea began operations to raise the ferry , which sank with 304 people on board, including 250 children who were on a school trip. A memorial in the shape of a yellow whale now overlooks the playground of Danwon High School. More than 300 people most of them high school students are feared dead. Air supply problems recently forced two members of Hwangs team to make risky, rapid ascents from about 100 feet (30 meters) underwater to the surface. The parents of the boy whose shaking voice first raised the alarm that an overloaded ferry was sinking believe his body has also been found, the coastguard said. The 16 April sinking of the Sewol ferry left more than 300 dead or missing, many of whom were students. Classes during the first two days will focus on helping students cope with losses and trauma, with assistance from psychiatrists and professional counselors, said An Soon-uk, a supervisor at Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Drawings are piled up in a room belonging to Bin Ha-yong, a high school student who died in the Sewol ferry disaster, in Ansan April 7, 2015. While Hong himself hasnt photographed any rooms, he arranges the photographers visits with the families, many of whom welcomed the initiative. A month after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, divers are still trying to find the bodies of 23 missing people. One night, when I hugged him after he let out a scream, he crouched like a baby. His Reading For Our Children is a two-room installation and the final artwork in the exhibition, and imagines what literature the young adults might have discovered had they lived. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Eerie pictures show a preserved classroom from Dawon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Left: To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. WebAFP/Getty Images The Sewol sank in 2014, killing 304 people A piece of bone found on the site of the Sewol ferry disaster off South Korea has been confirmed as belonging to one While diving teams spot victims including 48 in one room they cannot gain access to recover the bodies. Of those who died, 250 were students from Dawon High School in Ansan, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Seoul. We have to strive to prevent any reoccurrence of this disaster and to build a culture that cherishes human life. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Eom Ji-yeong, the mother of Park Ye-ji, a high school student who died in the Sewol ferry disaster, poses for a photograph in her daughters room, as well as details of objects, in Ansan April 8, 2015. Many obeyed erroneous crew instructions to remain in their cabins as the ship sank. The company's president had apologised earlier. It [the archive] is kind of a first step to be a kind of meta-archive for the Sewol ferry tragedy, Lee says. With oxygen and communication lines trailing, they could see only a few inches in front of them. Web2,986 Sewol Ferry Premium High Res Photos Browse 2,986 sewol ferry photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. Untouched: The classroom remains exactly as it was when it was left on April 16, 2014. The hair of female corpses ripples in the current, framing pale faces. On its final voyage, the top-heavy ferry was carrying twice the legal limit of cargo. Divers work to recover bodies as the official death toll continues to rise. But all I can do is just wait and trust its words,' she told AFP. The ship's captain was later convicted of murder. More than 150 regulators, crew members, ship inspectors and officials from ferry and loading companies have been indicted for their roles in the disaster. 'REMEMBER 0416': The classroom is dedicated to the loss of 250 students, who tragically drowned on April 16, or '0416', A South Korean woman pays tribute at a group memorial altar for victims of the Seyol disaster. 'The lounge is one big open space, so once in it we got our search done straight away. Classes normally would have begun by now, but only a few students were there on Wednesday. Making the exhibition is kind of like our duty, saysits curator, Chaeyoung Lee. Families of some of the 304 deceasedhave been present on the coastline watching the procedure as authorities expect thereare at least nine bodies still on board. In mid-June, South Korea began operations to, , which sank with 304 people on board, including 250 children who were on a school trip. WebThe ferry capsized on 16 April while on its way from Incheon to the southern tourist island of Jeju. It is only after they become a college student that they have time to read poems and novels it seemed it would be the most beautiful thing we could do for them if we read Korean poems about life and love that they might want to read by now.. Ariel Min 'We tremble with fear at even the slightest chance of never finding the missing bodies,' she said. Shin Jum-ja, mother on the right, and Jung Soo-beom, younger brother on the left, of Jung Hwi-beom, a high school student who died in the Sewol ferry disaster, pose for a photograph in Shins sons room, as well as details of objects, in Ansan April 7, 2015. Yoo added, this blanket approach is standard for investigations by Korean regulators.". Some bowed their heads and wept as they walked into Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea. Still, he said, there was an 80 percent chance the operation would succeed. Lee Ho-jin died eight years ago at the age of 16, one of 250 sophomore students whose lives were taken when the Sewol ferry sank off the southwestern coast of South Korea on April 16, 2014. Please do the best and let us bring them back home.''. A government official said divers must now rip through cabin walls to retrieve more victims. Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Eom Ji-yeong poses for a photograph with a picture showing her daughter top row, 4th to the left with her classmates when she was 15, in her daughters room in Ansan April 8, 2015. Just as the previous 11 crew members, including the captain, were charged, the newly arrested two helmsmen and two members of the steering crew are also accused of negligence and of failing to help passengers in need. The ferry, Sewol, went down with more than 300 people, including 250 high school students. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Suntag Noh, the 2014 winner of the Korean Artist Prize, the countrys most prestigious art award, is one of the photographers documenting the childrens rooms. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. But they dont understand that our pain is not healed, and that nothing has changed., Kang Soon-joong, who also lost his daughter, joined an early morning soccer club to keep himself distracted from an onslaught of grief and anger. 'I can't stay long inside because I feel like tearing up.'. , an NGO working with the victims families. dealt with the confusions and misfortunes of the world. Staying in the room of the dead for a day will evoke emotions that you find hard to deal with, Noh says. He also included work by Polish poets Adam Zagajewskiand the Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska whose poems have dealt with the confusions and misfortunes of the world. As it keeled over, its crew kept urging the passengers through the intercom to wait in their cabins. Right-wing, pro-government groups depict the victims families as clamouring for financial compensation and reject calls for a deeper probe as a waste of money . But the family has also started to rebuild. Relatives rush over to the main notice board and peer at details added by an official. In cafes, young couples discuss housing prices and the cost of raising children. Shareholders of the Sewol's owner, Chonghaejin Marine Co, apologised in a statement which was distributed to reporters outside the office in Incheon, saying they feel 'infinite sadness and responsibility'. 'We express condolences for the missing and dead, including young students, from the sinking of the Sewol,' a South Korean Unification Ministry spokeswoman quoted the message as saying. The entire crew has been arrested as of Saturday, as investigators try to determine what caused the ship to go down and why so many were trapped. Without soccer, I would be dead by now, said Mr. Kang, 63. More than 300 people in total died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014. Lee believes the government has isolated the families. AFERRY that served as a watery tomb for over 300 mainly schoolchildren off South Korea has been raised from the sea bed three years after the disaster. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Even after a year, the traumatized country is still trying to cope with the enduring scar of the April 16, 2014, disaster. As they explore the hallways of the ship, bodies in life jackets often float above them, near what used to be the floor, and divers must reach up to grab the bodies and pull them close so they can hold them while notifying colleagues above. I thought to myself: Why did I tell them that I can help with rescues and have a lot of experience when I cant even save one life here?. On April 16, 2014, the Sewol Ferry carried passengers from Incheon to Jeju. At the 4.16 Memorial Classroom, a museum dedicated to the students, the victims classrooms are recreated with desks, blackboards and other furniture from the school. The BBC's Lucy Williamson - at the trial - says that the picture painted by six female students giving evidence on Monday was of passengers left to find their own way out of the sinking ship. South Korea tightened safety rules and made laws to crack down on corruption and companies that put profit ahead of safety.. Healing is one of the impacts of art, Lee says. The exhibition reflects these issues. Han Yong Duk, a 33-year-old diver, said visibility was often so poor that divers had to feel their way along the outside of the ship to find windows they could smash. More than 80% of the 302 dead and missing are students from a high school in 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. Its solitary reading done at a lit desk in an otherwise dark room. NBC News' Cassandra Vinograd also contributed from London. Making the exhibition is kind of like our duty, saysits curator. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, Do not sell or share my personal information. Bill Neely reported from South Korea, and Elisha Fieldstadt reported from New York. A memorial in the shape of a yellow whale now overlooks the playground of Danwon High School in Ansan. The cause of the disaster is not yet known. WebLee Ho-jin died eight years ago at the age of 16, one of 250 sophomore students whose lives were taken when the Sewol ferry sank off the southwestern coast of South Korea 'Many of them are feeling guilt and resentment. View our online Press Pack. Korean high school students are tormented by brutal college entrance competition, he says. A majority of the missing and 187 confirmed dead are 16- and 17-year-old students from one high school. If he won't come back, please send him to a good place. But in the case of the cabins, we will have to break down the walls in between because they are all compartments,' he said. On Friday, the Sewols sister ship was also raided, and investigators found that its life rafts and escape chutes were malfunctioning. Divers descend about 100 feet (30 meters) and enter the ship through windows theyve broken with hammers. Another civilian diver said that sometimes it was pitch black; other times, there was less than 1 foot (20 centimeters) of visibility. TheSewol sank near the south western island of Jindo on 16 April 2014 in one of the worst civilian maritime disasters in the country's history. Jung said: Good children have died because of adults faults. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. WebIn this April 5, 2015 file photo, relatives carrying the portraits of the victims of the South Korean ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people a year ago, march during a rally in Many of the children who died as a ferry sank in South Korea broke their fingers because they were trying so desperately to escape. Mourners queued to lay flowers in front of hundreds of portraits of victims on an altar set up beside a street in central Seoul. He created Breathing Flower, a large, black lotus installed outside the official government alter next to the museum. Relatives have campaigned hard for them to be recovered. 'It's been 730 days and I can see the ocean before me,' said Lee Keum-Hui, who has been camping out at Paengmok harbour near the salvage site, praying for the recovery of her 16-year-old daughter's body. 'I know where she is but I can't get her,' Lee said. When she first heard the news of the Sewol, Ms. Kim, Ho-jins mother, immediately called her son on the ferry. WebThe altar of the memorial pictured below is a wall of white and yellow flowers and greens, surrounding photos of 47 students and teachers whose bodies have been identified 'We are trained for hostile environments, but it's hard to be brave when we meet bodies in dark water,' said diver Hwang Dae-sik, as the funerals of 25 students were held near the capital Seoul. 'I know the government can do more. ', Lee Seung-min, an 18-year-old senior, said students are 'constantly watching the news and crying, and going back and forth from the school, placing chrysanthemums and crying, and unable to do anything.'. Two hundred and fifty students and 11 teachers from the school died when the ferry sank. In another, there are plastic piggy banks and a boys portraits. Its not always possible. As the ship sank, rescue operations were slow and unorganized; everyone was ordered to stay in their rooms, ultimately drawing a sharp criticism to the Korean government and its coast guard. Some students are in a blank state, unable to express any feelings,' said Hong Hyun-ju, a psychiatrist who is one of some 50 medical professionals from outside the high school giving psychological treatment and counseling to students, teachers and parents. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Lee Ho-jin died eight years ago at the age of 16, one of 250 sophomore students whose lives were taken when the Sewol ferry sank off the southwestern coast of South Korea on April 16, 2014. The Sewol disaster is a historical event in that it instantly revealed the dark shadow of the Korean society which is hidden behind the heavy make-up of economic growth, Ahn says. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The Sewol ferry has been dragged up from the deep in an extremely complex process, The doomed ship sank three years ago, killing 304 mostly schoolchildren, The ship is thought to still contain the bodies of nine victims who were never recovered, It will take around two weeks to bring the ship to the coast around 55 miles away, Grieving families watch on as the ship is dragged from the water off Jindo Island, South Korea, The bodies of 295 out of the 304 people killed have been recovered, The disaster led to the murder prosecution of the ship's captain and was used in an impeachment bill against President Park, The government had been pressured by the families of the deceased to recover the 6,825 tonne vessel, Over 300 people were killed when the ship sank because of bad weather, overloaded cargo and crew incompetence, It will take around two weeks to drag the wreckage to shore, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).