hankyoreh

the site of the sinking of the Sewol ferry

By Lee Jae-uk and Jin Myeong-seon, staff reporters in Jindo

During the three days of the long weekend, from May 3 to May 5, around 30 additional bodies were recovered from the sunken Sewol ferry. Twenty days after the ferry sank, only about 40 people remain missing, but the hearts of those who are still waiting for the bodies of their family members are filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and sorrow.

“The number of missing people has shrunk to about 40, and I hope hurry and find the body of Ji-yeon’s sibling. The other bodies have already been found. Why is it taking this long?” said Kwon Bang-il on May 5. Kwon, 63, is the uncle of Kwon Ji-yeon, a six-year-old girl who was rescued alone, with her family members dying or going missing in the accident.

“I would just be happy if they found the body. I’m really worried that she may have been swept away,” Kwon said.

“I try to hold on to hope, but I keep feeling afraid. I have negative thoughts all day long,” said a woman surnamed Kim who has been staying at Paengmok Port on Jindo since Apr. 16. Kim’s younger brother, a student from Danwon High School, is one of the missing.

“What is there for me to say?” said a man surnamed Baek whose son is still missing. Baek was unable to keep talking.

On May 5, Children’s Day, the father of one missing student tried to jump into the ocean. When he was restrained by a rescue worker, he shouted, “My child is out there!”

In the Jindo Gymnasium, where the families of the missing have spent many sleepless nights, there is an increasing number of empty spots, making the remaining family members feel even more uneasy. Scattered across the gymnasium can be seen blankets and pillows that families have left behind. Immediately after the accident, more than 1,000 family members of the missing were staying on Jindo; on May 5, only 230 or so were left. The number even dipped as low as 100, but it bumped back up after family members took time during the long weekend to return to Jindo.

The number of volunteers has also been decreasing. “At the peak, 400 to 500 people were registering as volunteers every day, but now only about 150 people are signing up,” said Kwak Bong-ung, chief of the resident welfare team at Jindo County Office.

“We had been preparing food for 400 or 500 people at breakfast and dinner and for up to 800 people at lunch, but that number has been cut in half,” said Seo Jun-baek, a volunteer with the Salvation Army who is serving food at Paengmok Port. “But as long as the families are here, we will keep doing our best.”

President Park Geun-hye returned to Jindo on Saturday and Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on Sunday, but this was not enough to assuage the frustration of the bereaved families. Some families even expressed their dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister, who was visiting the island for the fourth time. “He keeps coming to see us without any ideas for recovering the bodies,” they said.

The government accident response headquarters announced that it had completed searching 61 of the 64 cabins where the missing are believed to be located. The headquarters decided to search the 64 cabins again on May 10 after it completes its search of the three unopened cabins.

Responding to certain reports claiming that some young children and babies had been omitted from the list of the missing, officials at the headquarters said, “We have not confirmed this yet. We have determined that there are two missing women aside from the female students, but we need confirmation about whether they had brought children on board.”

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]