Unrecovered Victims

[Anchor Lead]

Monday marks the 1,000th day since the sinking of the Sewol ferry. The aftershock of that tragic incident is as real as ever for the families of the nine yet undiscovered victims, still awaiting the recovery of their loved ones’ remains.

[Pkg]

Heo Da-yoon participated in a school trip at the age of 18. She would have turned 21 years old this year, but she has yet to return from the distant sea. Her father has been waiting for her return for 1,000 days at Jindo Island's Paengmok port, where the memories of the tragic incident remain as vivid as ever.

[Soundbite] Heo Heung-hwan(Father of Undiscovered Victim Heo Da-yoon) : "Too much time has passed since I came down here on April 16, 2014, but I can only leave and return home after finding my daughter."

Survivors of the undiscovered victims have become new family members for each other, having endured the unbearable period together. Today, they console each other as they share a meal as usual. Kwon Oh-bok, who has never left Jindo Island since the tragedy, is enduring his third winter here, still waiting for his brother and nephew. He believes that the salvage of the Sewol ferry will be possible this year, despite the failure in 2016.

[Soundbite] Kwon Oh-bok(Older Brother of Undiscovered Victim Kwon Jae-geun) : "The winter period will be over and sea conditions will improve in mid-March. We are counting on it. We hope that the heavens will help us."

1,000 days have passed since the sinking of the Sewol ferry. The last remaining hope for the families who have suffered throughout that time is to have the ship salvaged intact with no one left missing.