"Are You Tired of Memorials?" The 6th Anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Disaster, Still Filled with Malicious Remarks

On the Morning of the 16th, Memorial Visits Continue at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul for the 6th Anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Disaster
Citizens Urge, "Stop Throwing Stones at the Sewol Ferry Bereaved Families"

On the 16th, a citizen visiting the 'Sewol Ferry Memorial Hall' set up at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul attached a yellow ribbon symbolizing the Sewol Ferry memorial to their bag. Photo by Yeonju Kim, intern reporter yeonju1853@

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] # College student Kwon Mo (23, female) vividly remembers this day six years ago. At the time, Kwon was a first-year high school student when she heard from her teacher that the passenger ferry 'Sewol' heading to Jeju Island had sunk. The classroom became a sea of tears. When students of a similar age were involved in the accident, she even felt a fear that "this could have been my own tragedy." Kwon said, "Every April, my heart aches. I came out to the streets hoping to offer some comfort to the bereaved families. Some people claim that the Sewol incident is exploited for profit and that they do not empathize with the families' grief, which makes me furious. I want to tell the families that not everyone thinks that way."

On the 16th, marking the 6th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, there are still people making offensive remarks, causing distress not only to the families but also to citizens. Citizens unanimously pointed out that such behavior is absolutely unacceptable.

At 11 a.m. that day, citizens continued to visit the area around Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to pay tribute to the Sewol ferry disaster victims. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no official memorial gatherings were held, and individuals quietly visited the Sewol Memorial Hall and other sites to honor the families and the souls of the children who lost their lives.

A nun in her 50s met in front of the Sewol Memorial Hall said, "I slowly looked at the photos of the victims posted inside the facility and tears came to my eyes. There are still many suspicions surrounding the Sewol sinking, and I hope everything is resolved as soon as possible." She added, "I believe we must remember and pay attention until the families' grievances are resolved. People should stop saying things that hurt the families."

Hate speech post about the Sewol ferry disaster uploaded on an online community. Photo by Online Community Capture

In fact, online, there have been a series of hateful expressions related to the Sewol ferry. Citizens collectively called for an end to the criticism directed at the bereaved families.

Recently, a post criticizing the Sewol families was uploaded on an online community. The author of the post wrote, "Why are you bringing up XXX while on a trip?" and "How long are you going to milk this? Their parents have received huge insurance payouts and government support. They sold their children for profit," mixing insults to criticize the families.

Also, in articles related to the Sewol ferry, some netizens responded with comments such as, "It’s frustrating to hear about Sewol even now," "Even 100 years from now, they will milk the 100th anniversary investigation," and "What investigation? It’s just a maritime accident. Stop it already."

On the 16th, a citizen participating in the 'Sewol Ferry 6th Anniversary Memorial Solo Placard Protest' held around Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul is holding a placard urging the investigation of the Sewol Ferry incident. Photo by Yeonju Kim, intern reporter yeonju1853@

Regarding this, college student Kim Jung-woo (22, male) said, "Some people easily say they are 'tired' of the Sewol sinking, but that is like driving nails into the hearts of the families and the nation," expressing his outrage.

Kim added, "Some interpret this politically, but I think this is not a political issue. I hope people see it as something that concerns them and those around them," he urged.

Citizen Jung Sang-gyu (50) said, "This is a tragic event that happened to our children in our country," and sighed, "Is it wrong for parents who lost their children to ask why they couldn’t actively rescue them? Who has the right to point fingers at the families? At the very least, when families raise questions about Sewol, the state should be able to answer."

Another citizen, Jung Myung-mi (46, female), said, "I recently attended a reunion where a classmate described the Sewol families as people obsessed with compensation," and expressed indignation, "Not empathizing with the grief of losing a child is one thing, but how can anyone criticize them for shedding tears to get compensation?"

Jung pointed out, "Even politicians mock the families over the Sewol incident, which is truly outrageous," and added, "Politicians produce unverified news and mention it as fact, which insults the victims and hurts the families twice."

Earlier, on the 8th, Cha Myung-jin, a candidate from the United Future Party (Gyeonggi Bucheon B), sparked controversy during an OBS candidate invitation debate by saying, "Do you know the ○○○ incident? In May 2018, there was an article claiming that Sewol volunteers and families engaged in unspeakable immoral acts inside a tent," placing himself at the center of the controversy.

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Moon Jae-in commemorated the 6th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster through social networking services (SNS).

In a post on his Facebook, President Moon said, "Our attitude and measures in responding to COVID-19 contain the lessons of Sewol," and "Remembering the children who left us the legacy of 'social responsibility,' I sincerely thank the people."

He added, "With the resolve to never let go again, I reaffirm the promise made with the children for a 'safe country,'" and "I will do my best to uncover the truth about the Sewol ferry disaster."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.