President Moon Visits Memorial Space for Hungary Cruise Ship Accident

27 South Koreans Died and 1 Missing in 2019... Memorial Stones, Memorial Altars, and Memorial Trees Installed at the Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in, who is on a state visit to Hungary, visited the memorial space for the victims of the Hungary cruise ship accident on the 2nd (local time) and held a moment of mourning.

The Hungary cruise ship accident occurred when a cruise ship (Hable?ny) carrying 33 Korean group travelers and 2 Hungarian crew members collided with a large cruise ship (Viking Sigyn) on the Danube River in Budapest and sank.

At that time, there were many casualties and missing persons: 7 survivors (Koreans), 27 deaths (25 Koreans, 2 Hungarians), and 1 missing person (Korean). Immediately after the accident, the Korean government dispatched a joint rapid response team including professional rescue personnel to the site and conducted search and rescue operations jointly with Hungarian authorities, continuously demanding the Hungarian government to investigate the cause of the accident and punish those responsible.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The captain of the offending ship, Viking Sigyn, was indicted on November 28, 2019, and a criminal trial is ongoing.

Meanwhile, in early 2021, the Hungarian government began construction of the memorial space with its budget. At the site, a memorial stone made of granite slabs measuring 1.6m in height and 7m in length was installed. The memorial stone is engraved with the names of the 28 victims of the ship accident, the circumstances of the accident, and memorial phrases in three languages (Korean, Hungarian, and English).

A low granite memorial altar facing the Danube riverside was also installed. The Blue House explained, "Visitors can place wreaths, flowers, and candles to pay their respects, and at night, 28 light bulbs installed on the front of the memorial altar illuminate the names of the victims engraved on the memorial stone one by one."

A ginkgo tree was planted as a memorial tree in the middle of the memorial space. The Blue House explained, "Although the ginkgo tree grows slowly at first, it suddenly grows large, symbolizing the building and growth of relations between the two countries," and added, "The wave-patterned tiles on the floor of the memorial space symbolize the Danube River where the accident occurred."

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