Father of ferry victim on hunger strike sent to hospital

A man who lost his daughter in South Korea's April ferry sinking has been hospitalized after being on hunger strike for more than a month, his spokesman said Friday.

Kim Young-oh, whose daughter died in the capsized ferry, the Sewol, had been fasting for 40 days to demand an independent probe into the disaster.

On Friday morning, he was sent to a hospital in northeastern Seoul from the site of his protest in Gwanghwamun Square in the city center, Yoo Kyung-geun, the spokesman for the victims'

families said, adding that Kim's family doctor Lee Bo-ra will be looking after him.

"Kim was so emaciated he could not even sit straight," Yoo said. "He was on the verge of losing consciousness or even losing all his life functions."

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol sank off the country's southwest coast on April 16, leaving at 294 people dead, mostly high school students on a school excursion. As of Friday, 10 people remain unaccounted for.

Lawmakers in the ruling and opposition parties have been wrangling over the nitty-gritty of a bill that would uncover the truth behind the ferry tragedy, but have so far failed to meet the demands of the victims' families. (Yonhap)