By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
Less than a week after President Park Geun-hye promised that a sunken ferry off South Korea’s southwest coast would be salvaged “as soon as possible,” her government was still moving through technical hurdles Monday.
Last Thursday marked the first anniversary of the Sewol disaster, which claimed 304 victims - mostly high school students - nine of whom are still missing.
Family members have this month intensified calls for the vessel to be salvaged in order to find those missing, as well as search for clues that might reveal further details about its sinking.
Frustration with the government’s handling of the tragedy boiled over in Seoul on Saturday evening, when dozens of police officers and vehicles were targeted by angry protesters.
The disaster has forced widespread changes in South Korean society - from public safety management to a clampdown on corruption.
The president may have vowed to speed up plans to salvage the Sewol, but she left for a four-nation tour of South America on the same day as the disaster’s anniversary.
Maritime Minister Yoo Ki-june said at a press conference Monday that a technical review had finally concluded that the Sewol’s recovery is possible - but that the government needed to request “a decision on whether to salvage the ship” from the country’s central disaster control center.
That outcome is expected this Wednesday, according to Yoo.
Despite public pressure and a parliamentary resolution in favor of raising the Sewol, some groups have raised concerns about the cost of such an operation - which could rise above 250 billion Korean won ($231 million) based on government estimates.
