The investigation into the sinking of the ferry Sewol continued to expand Monday, bringing the Korean Coast Guard, emergency services and more financial entities linked to Yoo Byung-eon under scrutiny. Yoo, former chairman of the defunct Semo Group, is thought to be the de facto owner of Sewol’s operator Chonghaejin Marine Co. On Monday, investigators raided the offices of the Mokpo Coast Guard and Jeonnam Fire Service, whose initial response to the incident has been brought into question. Altho

Search efforts continue: Concerns raised over missing bodies

A psychological treatment center is set to open in Ansan for the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol and their families, according to the Welfare Ministry on Monday. The Ansan trauma center, scheduled to open within the year, will be the first government-operated institution opened in response to a specific disaster to treat those with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Ansan, South Korea, is home to the majority of the Danwon High School teachers and students who were aboard the ferry Sewol

Classes for Danwon High School freshmen and sophomores who did not sign up for the ill-fated field trip to Jejudo Island resumed Monday, as funerals for the ferry victims were held in the same town. The chilly, rainy weather reflected the general somber mood, as the students walked past flowers and messages outside the gates. Some students were seen standing still as funeral cars carrying the victims of the Sewol disaster passed by. Reporters’ access to school staff members, students and parents

Raising the sunken Sewol is likely to be a Herculean task that could take several months to complete. In 2010, it took one month to salvage the Cheonan warship, which was five times smaller than the ferry and broken in two. Four large marine cranes, including a Samsung Heavy Industries moder with a hoisting capacity of 8,000 tons, are currently deployed to the site where the Sewol is submerged. Experts propose using a floating dock to help raise and move the hull.

South Korean authorities on Sunday expanded their probe into the ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing as search and rescue operations continued at a slow pace off the southern coast. Since the passenger ferry Sewol sank on April 16, the death toll has climbed to 188, with 114 still unaccounted for, as of 6 p.m. Sunday.As part of the investigation into the accident, investigators requested search warrants for the Coast Guard in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, to look into w

South Korean coast guard personnel and divers resumed their search Sunday to find the missing from a capsized ferry, with murky water and strong currents hampering their efforts.After temporarily halting the operation for nearly 11 hours due to strong winds, the Coast Guard, Navy and civilian divers resumed their search of the submerged ferry Sewol to retrieve bodies from cabins on the third and fourth decks, where most of the missing are believed to have been trapped, Coast Guard officials said

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won offered to resign Sunday amid public outrage over the government’s bungled response to the sinking of the Sewol ferry, in which over 300 died or went missing. “On behalf of the government, I want to apologize for a series of problems from preventive steps (for such accidents) to the government’s initial response and follow-up measures,” he said in a press conference at the government complex in Seoul. “Witnessing the sorrows of those who lost their loved ones and sa

Concerns are growing among anguished families that the bodies of those who died in the sinking of a South Korean ferry may never be found, as search teams suspended work Saturday because of bad weather.A looming storm and high tides put a temporary halt to operations to recover the remains of more than 100 people still missing over a week after the huge ferry capsized."Over the weekend, strong wind and rain is expected in the Jindo area", a coastguard spokesman told journalists."As efforts to fi

ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province ― Tears, sighs and quiet loomed over the city of Ansan after last week’s Sewol tragedy left more than 300 passengers dead or missing ― most of them second-year students from Ansan’s Danwon High School.Mourners in black laid white chrysanthemums at the altar set up inside the Ansan Olympic Memorial Museum, where photographs of the deceased students and teachers surrounded by flowers are placed. Several visitors sobbed as they read the numerous Post-it notes that covered t