Family members of Yang Seung-jin
Three years ago, students and teachers at Danwon High School departing on a spring trip with broad smiles on their faces and a father and son moving to Jeju Island with big dreams were taken from their families and lost their lives in the icy wind. On Nov. 20, the five victims of the sinking of the Sewol Ferry whose bodies were never recovered were sent to their eternal rest. Their bereaved families never managed to find a single bone of their bodies as they had desired. 1,314 days have passed since the Sewol tragedy, and 223 days since the hull of the ferry was raised onto dry land.At 6 am on Nov. 20, funerals were held for Park Yeon-in and Nam Hyeon-cheol, male students who were 17 years old at the time of the accident, and Yang Seung-jin, a teacher who was 57 at the time, at the Jeil Funeral Home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Since their bodies were never recovered, their coffins were filled with their possessions – backpacks and clothing – that were found during the search of the hull. Because none of Yang’s possessions were found in this search, his coffin was filled with clothing he had worn and items he had used at school during his lifetime and with letters written by his family members. Family members, pupils and peers of the deceased attended the funeral procession to see them off on their final journey.
