'Sewol Ferry Memorial Space, Dismantling Not Demolition'

On the 27th, bereaved families are observing a moment of silence in front of the Sewol Ferry Memorial Space at Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the families personally moved items from the memorial space to a temporary space set up at the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Families of the Sewol ferry victims are moving items at the Sewol Ferry Memorial Space in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The Sewol Ferry Memorial Space was relocated to a temporary space at the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 27th due to the restructuring construction of Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Since a tent demanding the truth about the Sewol Ferry disaster was set up in Gwanghwamun Square in July 2014, the bereaved families have left the square after more than seven years.

The 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families' Association held a press conference in front of the Sewol Ferry Memorial Space at 10 a.m. that day and announced that the items and exhibits inside the memorial space would be temporarily moved to the first-floor exhibition hall of the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Yoo Kyung-geun, the executive committee member of the association, said that the future use plan for the dismantled memorial space has not yet been decided, and that they do not intend to move the memorial space entirely to Ansan. Regarding the decision to temporarily relocate to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Yoo stated that the council confirmed efforts to embody the meaning of the Sewol Ferry disaster in the square, rather than engaging in political disputes or emphasizing differences in stance.

After the press conference, the bereaved families and volunteers began organizing and moving the internal items. The families packed the items neatly into yellow boxes after a brief moment of silence in front of the wall where photos of the students and other victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster were orderly hung. The organization of the memorial space took less than an hour. The items were transported to the Seoul Metropolitan Council using prepared vehicles.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government expressed gratitude for the cooperation of the Sewol Ferry bereaved families and stated that it would consider ways to honor the families' grief within the scope that does not impair the function of the square. The dismantling work is expected to begin in the afternoon of the same day.

At a press conference held in front of the Sewol Ferry Memorial Space, Kim Jong-gi, the executive committee member of the 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families Association, is speaking. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Yoo Kyung-geun, Executive Director of the 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families' Association, is announcing future directions and schedules. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

The families of the Sewol ferry victims are observing a moment of silence in front of a wall neatly lined with photos of the students and other victims of the disaster. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The bereaved families are moving the Sewol ferry memorial sculpture.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The bereaved families are moving items from the Sewol Ferry memory space to the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The bereaved families are moving items from the Sewol Ferry memory space to the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

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