10th Anniversary Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony for Sewol Ferry Disaster Relatively Few Attendees
Faded Ribbons and Rusted Containers Reflect 10 Years of Time
Mourners Lament "Only Two Containers as Memorial Space... Disappointing"
Yellow ribbons faded to nearly white, rusted containers used as memorial spaces, and a relatively quiet scene despite it being a weekday. On April 16, 2024, at Paengmok Port in Jindo, Jeollanam-do, one could deeply feel the passage of ten years since the Sewol Ferry disaster.
On April 16, 2014, the entire nation was engulfed in worry and then anger. Every year since, a memorial and remembrance ceremony has been held here at Paengmok Port to honor the victims.
On the morning of the 16th, the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, memorial flags fluttered in the wind amidst a quiet atmosphere at Paengmok Port, Imhoe-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. [Photo by Min Hyun-gi]
On this day, marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, the Sewol Ferry Disaster 10th Anniversary Jindo Solidarity held a memorial ceremony. From early morning, events such as hanging yellow ribbons, writing the names of the 304 victims, and hanging yellow flags were held, drawing mourners from all over the country. However, unlike past memorial events, it was relatively quiet, as if the pain had dulled and been forgotten over the ten years.
Paengmok Port, known as the "Harbor of Waiting and Weeping," is where parents waited, praying for the safe return of their children during the Sewol Ferry disaster. It was also the place where the bodies of the victims were first brought ashore.
Because of this, every year around this time, the port was filled with a wave of memorial walkers stretching about 200 meters from the entrance of the Paengmok Port breakwater to the lighthouse. However, unlike last year, this year’s scene was quiet, and some mourners expressed their disappointment directly.
Kim Juhyun (32) and Park Juyeon (female, 28), who came from Chuncheon the day before to pay their respects for the first time on the 10th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster, could not hide their disappointment with the memorial space.
They said, "We never imagined that the memorial space for the Sewol Ferry disaster, which united the entire nation in grief and anger, would be left neglected in just two containers," and appealed, "Considering how cold the innocent high school students who died in the Sewol Ferry disaster must have been in the sea, this should not be allowed."
Lee Sarang (female, 26), who has visited Paengmok Port every April 16 for the past ten years since the Sewol Ferry disaster to conduct 'coffee sharing volunteer work' with her father, uncle, and other family members, also visited without fail on this day.
Lee said, "This 10th anniversary falls on a weekday, and since memorial spaces for the Sewol Ferry have been established in nearly every district office or administrative welfare center nationwide, the number of mourners visiting Paengmok Port seems to have decreased," adding, "For those of us still alive, we have a duty to protect and remember this space so that a disaster like the Sewol Ferry does not happen again. It must never be forgotten."
Although Jindo Port has gradually changed with the construction of the coastal passenger terminal, the 416 Paengmok Memorial Hall has continued to operate a memorial space set up in just two containers without significant support.
In response, Jindo County has decided to secure remaining public project land near Jindo Port to provide a remembrance space and plans to secure a minimum area for the installation of a memorial monument at Paengmok 4·16 Park.
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