Sinking of Sewol Ferry: Families still suffering from loss of loved ones after five years

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02:08

South Korea has held a memorial to mark the 5th anniversary of the sinking of the Sewol ferry. More than three hundred people died in disaster and many of the victims' families and friends are still suffering from the loss of their loved ones. Shane Hahm reports.

SHANE HAHM ANSAN, SOUTH KOREA "Thousands are gathered here to commemorate possibly South Korea's worst maritime accident in modern times. Five years ago, to the day, 304 lives perished off the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula."

The majority of victims were local high school students at Danwon High School.

To put into perspective, many of those students would be preparing to finish university possibly and entering the workforce, but their lives were tragically cut way too short.

KANG SOOK-HEE ANSAN RESIDENT "Five years have passed, but I remember it as if it was yesterday. I can't forget what I was doing when I first heard the news. Thinking about it now, I'm still stunned and my heart aches."

YOON SE-IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT "I'm still a teenager, so when I look to my future, incidents like this can make me very worried. On the other hand, as a student, I still have many roads to walk, so I hope better things will come from this."

It's been half a decade now since the tragic incident, but the implications of are still being felt throughout to this day.

Safety measures were put under the spotlight, with many at the time criticizing regulators for turning a blind eye to regulations and just an overall lack of confidence in safety by those in authority in the name of cost-cutting.

Many still criticize the lax response of the local Coast Guard. And it goes all the way to the top, with many feeling that the previous Park Geun-hye administration has downplayed its role in the accident and the aftermath.

But with all that in mind, today's focus is to remember, to remember those that died but also to heal, learn, and move forward, and hopefully prevent a similar accident from occurring.

Shane Hahm, CGTN, ANSAN, SOUTH KOREA.