Memorial Altars and Remembrance Events Across Gwangju and Jeonnam
Bereaved Families to Hold Memorial Ceremonies at the Sinking Site and Mokpo New Port
As the 11th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster approaches, a series of memorial events are being held across Gwangju and Jeonnam to honor the victims. Citizens are coming together to remember the tragedy and express their hope that such a disaster will never be repeated.
According to the 4.16 Foundation and the Sewol Ferry Gwangju Citizens' Mourning Group, a joint memorial altar will be set up at the May 18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju from April 12 to 16. Visitors will be able to write messages of remembrance on yellow ribbons and pay tribute to the victims through flower offerings and incense burning.
On the same day at 2 p.m., the "Gwangju Youth Memory Culture Festival," planned and participated in by local youth, will also take place at the same location. There will be a booth for making yellow bracelets, as well as performances calling for increased social awareness and measures to prevent recurring tragedies.
The wave of remembrance continues in other regions as well. On April 12 at 4 p.m., a citizens' memorial cultural festival will be held at Peace Square in Mokpo, Jeonnam, and on April 20 at 4 p.m., another memorial event organized by local civic groups is scheduled in front of the musical fountain at Seocheonbyeon, Gwangyang, Jeonnam.
On April 16, the 11th anniversary of the disaster, a memorial ceremony at sea will be held near the site of the Sewol Ferry sinking, with bereaved families in attendance. The families will board a Mokpo Coast Guard patrol vessel and arrive at the waters near Donggeochado, Jodo-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeonnam, where they will float chrysanthemums on the sea in memory of the victims. Afterwards, they will move to Mokpo New Port, where the Sewol Ferry hull is kept, for a remembrance ceremony.
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