On the morning of March 1st, Gwangbok-ro became yellow with people who came out to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry tragedy. During the “Nationwide Procession for the 10th Anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy” in Busan, about 200 participants walked through the cold with a  windchill below zero, from City Spot Skulptur on Gwangbok-ro to Busan Line 1 Busan Station. They wore yellow vests and held yellow flags in their hands.

On March 1st, “Channel PNU” followed participants on the “Memorial March” to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry tragedy. People of the 4·16 Foundation and 4/16 Sewol Families for Truth and A Safer Society gathered under the name “Committee for the 10th Anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy.” They started marching on February 25th on Jeju island, the intended destination of the Sewol ferry, and reached Busan on the 6th day after that. They plan to continue their march until March 16th, passing through Paengmokhang Harbor in Jindo, Mokpo, and Ansan, ultimately arriving at the Sewol Ferry Memorial Space in Seoul.

During the procession, the marching group called for “Seven Basic requirements” for “truth, responsibility, life, and safety.” These included the following: recognition of national responsibility for the Sewol ferry tragedy with apologies and immediate implementation of recommendations from the Social Disasters Commission, public disclosure of information and further investigation into the tragedy, punishment of those responsible for the tragedy, establishment of the 4.16 Life Safety Park, enactment of the Framework Act on Life Safety, guarantee of rights for disaster victims and cessation of the hate speech and discrimination, and enactment of a law for investigation of the Itaewon crowd crush.

There was a press conference at 10am, featuring speeches of representatives of civic organizations, including the leader of the marching group, director Yoon Ji-Hyung of the “Park Jong-Chul Choir.” They all spoke in unison about the need to build a safer society and demanded a thorough investigation into the truth. After each speech, the participants collectively reaffirmed their resolution by chanting the slogan “Punishment for those responsible, clarification of the truth, refusal to accept denial.” Ji Seung-Yong, the head of the civic organization “Busan Dangdang,” said, “I want to alleviate the pain of the Sewol ferry victims’ families even just a little. Although it’s a public holiday, I came out with the hope that it would be of help to them.”

After the press conference, participants started their march in earnest. Led by a van at the forefront, they raised flags and banners bearing slogans like “Complete the investigation without sacred cows” and “Build a society of life and safety.” People of diverse backgrounds, including children, the elderly, and nuns, joined in. Despite occasional road crossings, the march proceeded smoothly under police control. Lasting approximately an hour and a half, the march began at City Spot Skulptur on Gwangbok-ro, passed through the entrance of Yeongdo and Jungang Station, and culminated at Busan Station.

As a participant in the procession, Choi Sun-Hwa (58, Sangnok-gu, Ansan), a bereaved family member of Lee Chang-Hyun, a sophomore at Danwon High School who perished in the Sewol ferry tragedy, expressed dissatisfaction with the incompletion of investigations of the Sewol ferry incident. She said, “I hope people will pay attention again by checking whether the causes of the tragedy have been identified and whether the promise to create a different world from before the tragedy has been kept.” Encouraged by the large number of participants, she pledged to continue pursuing the truth.

After the procession, participants reaffirmed their determination to build a safe society at a conference at the Busan Eurasia Platform. Representatives who made speeches included Ji Eun-Ju (Director, Movement for One Korea Busan branch), Lim Jung-Taek (Director, Korean Teachers & Educational Workers’ Union Busan branch), Kim Yeong-Jin (Chairman, Justice Party Busan branch), and Roh Jung-Hyun (Chairman, Jinbo Party Busan branch). They all expressed empathy for the pain of the victims and emphasized the need for building a safe society and clarifying through investigation. Roh said, “We haven’t found out why the Sewol ferry sank and why the victims were not rescued. We haven’t found or punished those responsible either. Let’s make this year the beginning of victory.” Following the speeches, the ceremony was held to deliver a camellia tree as a monument for society for life and safety.

Reporter Yoon Ji-Won

Translated by Lee Soo-Hyun