Marking the first anniversary of the ferry disaster

After the bodies of the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster were transferred from Jindo to Mokpo in southwestern Korea and identified, they were moved to the funeral hall in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. When the bodies were moved to nearby regions such as Siheung and Suwon, Park Il-do (see photo), 60, the owner of Ansan Cheil Funeral Hall, held a funeral for 50 teachers and students who lost their lives in the disaster. Two days before the first anniversary of the tragedy, he said, “When I saw a tilted ship on television, I thought all of the people on board must have been rescued. I was devastated by the bodies flooding into the funeral hall.”

Park said he was heartbroken when he saw fathers who could not cry in the funeral hall to calm their family down and sobbed outside the building or children who were looking for their siblings. “I can’t forget an elementary school kid who looked at her brother’s portrait and cried calling his name all day,” Park said.

"Nothing has changed. What’s changed is fewer yellow banners, which filled the streets back then,” he said. “Right after the disaster, adults said, ‘We’re sorry and won’t forget this,’ but nothing has changed.”

The ferry disaster changed his view of life. In May last year, he donated 50 million (45,595 U.S. dollars) to Danwon High School. As the school uniform placed in the funeral hall pressed his mind, he donated 10 million won (9,119 dollars) for elementary school students who were about to go to a middle school for their uniforms in December last year. He plans to donate more money for 100 students this year.

After watching the funeral procedure closely, Park suffered insomnia and started medication recently. “I couldn’t handle it because I kept thinking of the children and their families,” he said. “Many employees quit working because they felt sorry for the young lost lives. It was hard for us just to look at them. I hope that people can understand how the parents who lost their child would feel.”

In October last year, he wrote a lyric to express what he felt from the ferry disaster, which was composed by Lee Geun-sang who wrote songs such as “Oh! Pilseung Korea!” “Seosi” and “Jasmine Flower.” The tribute song will be released soon.