Sewol Ferry Memorial Life Hall to Open in Mokpo

Public Briefing Session to Gather Community Feedback Begins in Earnest

Aerial view of the Sewol Ferry Memory and Life Hall. Provided by Mokpo City

Mokpo City in South Jeolla Province is seeking to gather public feedback regarding the implementation project for the Sewol Ferry Hull Management Plan.

The city announced that it will hold a community briefing session to share the results of the service commissioned for the Sewol Ferry Hull Management Plan Implementation Project, which is being promoted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and to listen to the opinions of the local community regarding future directions.

The briefing will take place at 2 p.m. on March 31 in the main auditorium of the Education Center at the National Honam Biological Resource Center Annex. Attendees will include the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Mokpo City, bereaved families’ organizations, the 4·16 Foundation, local residents, and civic groups.

The purpose of this briefing is to disclose the results of the Sewol Ferry Hull Management Plan Implementation Project and to explain future plans, while also collecting a wide range of opinions from bereaved families and local residents.

This project is a national initiative centered on establishing a tentatively named National Sewol Memorial Life Hall, with the core goal of preserving the Sewol ferry hull and creating a multifunctional space that serves both commemorative and educational purposes. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is overseeing the project.

The hull will be preserved inside a dedicated housing to prevent corrosion, and a large media facade will be installed on the exterior to create an exhibition space that conveys messages of life and safety, making it a symbolic venue.

Currently, the hull is located atop a steel pier at Mokpo New Port, and it is scheduled to be transported to the project site via a special transport vehicle, passing in front of the Mokhwa Experience Center, by 2028.

The first phase of the project will involve reclaiming public waters around 901 Daldong, Mokpo City, to create a site of approximately 76,150 square meters. The hull and housing, as well as the Memorial Life Hall, a Safety Experience Center, a Life Park, and parking facilities, will be established. In the second phase, the establishment of a National Memorial Complex is also under consideration.

To date, the city has continuously requested the creation of commemorative and healing spaces linked to the Memorial Life Hall, reflecting the opinions of bereaved families and the local community. The city plans to expand these efforts to develop a symbolic space embodying the values of life and safety.

After completing the preliminary data research, the project will be commissioned through a turnkey (T/K) bidding process for design and construction, with groundbreaking scheduled for the end of this year and completion targeted for 2030.

A city official stated, "We will actively support the smooth implementation of the Sewol Ferry Hull Management Plan Implementation Project," and added, "We will do our utmost to create a space that serves commemorative and healing purposes by fully reflecting the opinions of bereaved families and local residents."

Meanwhile, the city expects that this project will not only serve as a reminder of the meaning of the Sewol Ferry disaster and contribute to the spread of safety education culture, but also help attract tourists and vitalize the local economy by developing content linked to nearby tourist resources such as the Admiral Yi Sun-sin historic site and the Mokpo Marine Cable Car.

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