by JULIE HA
The families protesting outside of South Korea’s National Assembly say they only want the truth.
“We want to know how our children died. That’s all,” Park Yong-woo told the Washington Post.
The math teacher’s daughter drowned in the April 16 ferry sinking that took the lives of 304 people, including two-thirds of a high school class that was on a school trip.
For three weeks, Park, other victims’ families and their supporters have been camped out in tents set up on Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul in an effort to pressure lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow for a comprehensive and independent inquiry into the tragedy. Many of the protestors are also participating in a hunger strike; today marks the 24th day into the strike, the Post reported.
The proposed legislation has been stalled in the National Assembly, as the dueling political parties continue to clash over what legal powers the inquiry should have, according to AFP. With heavy public criticism of the government over the ferry accident—for lax safety regulations that reportedly led to a severely overloaded ferry and ineffective rescue operations by the Coast Guard—there is a feeling among the protestors that the truth might never be revealed.
Above: Sit-in protesters, including relatives of the Sewol ferry disaster, striking workers and disabled people hold a joint press conference urging Pope Francis to pray with them at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Photo via AFP.
But the families’ persistent presence in the public square is becoming a growing concern for some lawmakers, as the nation gets ready to welcome Pope Francis, whose visit marks the first papal visit in 25 years. One ruling party member controversially compared the protestors to “homeless people” recently, complaining that it’s “not desirable” to have them camped out outside the National Assembly.
But protestors have said they will “fight back” if authorities try to remove them from the Seoul plaza, where Francis is scheduled to hold an open-air mass on Aug. 16, expected to draw huge crowds.
AFP reported that the protestors have been in touch with the Catholic Church about their presence in the plaza. Park, the grieving father, also told reporters that he sent a letter to Pope Francis that read, in part: “Holy Father, please cry with us here together. Please pray for us and protect us from being swept off the square in the name of preparing your mass.”
The preparatory committee for Francis’ visit said the Catholic leader is expected to meet with bereaved families and survivors of the ferry disaster.
Top photo: In this July 22 photo, Sewol victims’ families taking part in hunger strike, receive intravenous therapy, upon the advice of a medical team. Photo via The Hankyoreh.
