Bereaved families, Seoul council butt heads over Sewol memorial

A memorial for the victims of the Sewol Tragedy in Seoul is seen in this photo taken Sunday. (Yonhap)

The commemorative space for victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster in Seoul is facing possible removal by the city council, which is refusing to allow unauthorized use of its premises as the location of the memorial.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council is reportedly slated to meet with the representatives of the bereaved families next month to discuss removal of the memorial in the plaza in front of the council's main building in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The bereaved families asked for the memorial to stay at its current spot at least until construction of the memorial park in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province was completed in 2026, but the council has refused to allow it.

The memorial for the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, the sinking of the Sewol ferry that left 304 dead or missing, was relocated from Gwanghwamun Plaza to its current location in November of 2021. It was authorized to use the space until June 30 of 2022.

The previous authorization from the city council was largely possible as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea -- which was more lenient toward the Sewol memorial than the current ruling party -- had council majority then. But the ruling People Power Party claimed majority in 2022, and has refused to extend the authorization for the memorial.

Unauthorized use of the city council's grounds has racked up an accumulated 75.3 million won ($56,400) in fines as of September, only 4 million of which has been paid by the families.

The council has agreed to negotiate the fines, but stands firm on removing the memorial by the end of this year.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)