South Korea plans to raise sunken Sewol ferry

The South Korean government has announced plans to raise the wreckage of the sunken Sewol ferry, bowing to a key demand of the grieving families of more than 300 people who died when the vessel sank last year.

South Korea’s Ministry of Public Safety and Security announced on Wednesday that the salvage operation would likely begin in September, off the southwestern island of Jindo, where the Sewol sank on April 16 last year. The operation could take as long as one-and-a-half years.

Park In-Yong, Seoul's public safety minister, said it would be the most challenging task to lift the crumbling ship from an area which is notorious for its strong currents.

"There are many technical risks and uncertainties... but we decided to lift the ship intact in line with the wishes of the families of the missing and many South Koreans," Park said.

Meanwhile, Maritime Minister Yoo Ki-June told a press briefing in Seoul that his ministry would immediately begin a bidding process to select a company to handle the operation.

"Once the company is selected, a detailed salvage plan... will be drawn up over the next three months," Yoo added.

He also added that bringing the vessel to the surface represents substantial technical risks and challenges, adding, "We will take thorough measures not to lose the bodies of the missing."

The developments come after a government committee concluded that it would be possible to raise the 6,825-tonne ferry from the sea floor at a cost of at least 150 billion won (USD 139 million).

The cost could rise beyond the estimation depending on weather conditions and technical difficulties, it added.

The government has faced constant pressure to extract the ferry from the sea floor in a bid to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Muddy waters and strong currents at the site of the sunken vessel hampered the search efforts last year, leaving at least two divers dead.

The Sewol ferry sank off Korea's southern coast, claiming the lives of 304 people on board, including 250 schoolchildren.

A total of 295 bodies were recovered from the ferry. Senior government authorities have vowed to locate the bodies of the nine passengers who remain missing.

Last November, a court handed down a jail sentence of 36 years to the captain of Sewol over gross negligence in performing his duties during the incident. Other senior crew members were sentenced to 15 to 30 years in jail.

JR/HMV/SS

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