Sewol victims’ families bring their protest to the Blue House

Posted on : 2014-05-09 14:56 KST Modified on : 2014-05-09 14:56 KST
Bereaved families are being blocked by police, demanding a face-to-face meeting with Pres. Park
 Gyeonggi Province. (by Kim Sung-gwang
Gyeonggi Province. (by Kim Sung-gwang

By Kim Ki-seong, Kim Il-woo, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Jung-gook and Park Seung-heon, staff reporters

Bereaved families of victims of the Sewol ferry are holding their ground in front of Cheongwoon Hyojadong Community Service Center encircled by police who have been closing off the street to the Blue House since the early morning of May 9.

The families took portraits of the deceased victims from the government memorial altar on the evening of May 8 and made a protest visit to KBS headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood. It has been nine days since the deceased victims’ portraits were enshrined at the memorial altar.

The bereaved family members criticized remarks made by KBS newsroom chief Kim Si-gon. On May 3, the National Union of Media Workers KBS branch (a new labor union) claimed that Kim Si-gon made comments to the effect of, “Although 300 deaths seems like a high figure, it’s not that much compared to the annual number of people who die in traffic accidents”.

 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

Also, on Apr. 28 Kim reportedly warned a female news anchor, saying, “Do not wear black clothes”, causing much anger among the families of the Sewol ferry victims.

The bereaved families arrived at KBS headquarters at around 10 pm, and staged a sit-in protest against police while holding the deceased’s portraits in their arms. During the sit-in protest, they shouted “Responsible person, come out!” “CEO, come out!” and “We want an apology!”

Through arbitration by five members of New Politics Alliance for Democracy, including Jin Seon-mi, around 10 representatives of families got into the KBS building at 11:35 pm, but the talks soon broke down.

Then the families made their way to the Blue House in order to meet President Park Geun-hye, but were soon blocked by police in front of Cheongwoon Hyojadong Community Service Center, near the Blue House, at 4 am on May 9. 13 police battalions (over 900 policemen) have reportedly been dispatched to the area.

Meanwhile, families released five new video clips recovered from deceased students’ mobile phones. Each video clip is about 20-40 seconds in length and show students waiting with life vests on, slipping as they try to go over the ship’s heel while laughing and praying. The video also have audio of announcement saying, ‘Do not move’. The bereaved family claimed it was filmed at around 6:38 pm on April 16, about seven hours after the sinking, signifying that the students were still alive at that time.

As of 8 am on May 9, the bereaved families are still facing off against the police and say they will not move before having a face-to-face meeting with President Park.

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Translated by Lee Dong-ju, Hankyoreh English intern

 

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