Jeong Seok-woong, Jeonnam Superintendent of Education, Attends 7th Anniversary Event of Sewol Ferry Disaster

Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, attended the "7th Anniversary Memorial and Commitment Event for the Sewol Ferry Disaster" held at Mokpo New Port to mark the 7th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster. Photo by Jeonnam Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Education of Jeonnam, attended the ‘7th Anniversary Memorial and Resolution Event for the Sewol Ferry Disaster’ held at Mokpo New Port at 10 a.m. on the 16th to mark the 7th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster.

In his solidarity speech, Superintendent Jang stated, “The just society we desire must begin with remembering the sorrow of the Sewol Ferry.”

He continued, “We have come to live forgetting the pain of that day seven years ago. Although there are still many truths to uncover and the cries and calls of the children continue without end, we deliberately turn a blind eye,” adding, “Now, we must revive the memory and continue it indefinitely.”

Furthermore, he emphasized, “We must create a society different from before the Sewol Ferry disaster, a society where such pain never repeats again,” and “That is a just society, a warm society centered on people, and the first step must be remembrance.”

He also said, “The Sewol Ferry disaster became a turning point for democratic civic education based on the civic values of respect, autonomy, and solidarity to come to the forefront,” and “The Jeonnam Office of Education is also striving for democratic civic education based on the philosophy of humanity, democracy, future, and innovation.”

Deputy Superintendent Lee Ki-bong attended the memorial ceremony held at Jindo Paengmok Port to console the bereaved families, visited the ‘Forest of Memory’ established with a 50 million won donation from Sean Hepburn Ferrer, son of the late Audrey Hepburn and a film producer, and held a moment of remembrance.

The ‘Forest of Memory,’ completed on April 9, 2016, consoles the wounded by engraving the names of 304 victims on the sculpture ‘Wall of Memory,’ and ginkgo trees that turn yellow every autumn are planted to commemorate the Sewol Ferry victims.

Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Office of Education has designated the period from the 12th to the 23rd as the ‘7th Anniversary Memorial Period for the Sewol Ferry Disaster,’ hanging a large banner on the outer wall of the office building and installing 416 yellow pinwheels on the lawn to continue the memorial atmosphere.

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