President Mun, who formulated the 4th inter-Korean
summit meeting, is expected to reveal his position on the recent summit with
North Korea tomorrow, along with Gim Jeongeun and the North Korean secretary of
state tomorrow. A senior official at Mun’s presidential office said “the summit
meeting between Korea and the US was very successful.” Mr. Moon will make
further comment tomorrow. Asked if there is any comment on the possibility of a
special envoy to the North the official said, “I do not think that the
President is planning to address this issue.”
10 days from now, on the April the 16th, will be the fifth anniversary after the Sewol disaster. Today, the 6th of April, there were memorial services all over the country. Many voices are still calling for the truth.
“Five years on, vivid memories of ‘that day'”
Five
years later, 18-year-old survivors of the disaster have now reached the age of
23. They’re not hiding painful memories in their breast, they’re sharing them,
making them warm. Survivor Seol Duhwan said “what’s made it even harder than
losing my friends has been having to deal with the hard words of the outside
world.” A student who survived the disaster with a disability said “when I
spoke at Gwanghwamun[in central Seoul] I felt that people supported us in
general.
Once
again, we’re remembering the lessons of the that dreadful day with our brothers
and sisters [throughout the country]. Bak Yongreyon, from Cheongmyeongo high
school, said “my hope is that the young people in our society can live in
safety.”
I asked why
some adults are still struggling to discover the truth and why they still have
not finished their investigation.
[O
Jiwon, Secretary of the Special Investigation Committee of Social Disasters,
said “when we restored the CCTV video [from the wreck], there was not
footage until three minutes before the sinking.” He called for the truth
to be revealed without any omissions as he [and other campaigners] marched in
bad weather. Artists have also been remembering the Sewol in their work.
Analysis: Five years on, the Saewol ferry disaster,
when 306 people lost their lives, continues to cast a dark shadow over Korean
national life. The disaster was due at least in part to the ferry having been
illegally overloaded, but the details of the tragedy which were specific to
Korean culture also led to deep reflection amongst the populace; the vast
majority of the passengers who died were following instructions from the crew to
remain where they were as the ship began taking on water.
