I attended the Sewol ferry memorial on the second anniversary of the disaster. I got on the bus early in the morning. There were just 3 people on it including me. Only a few people were at the group memorial altar, because it was early in the morning. The site was tranquil with gloomy weather. I put down a white flower in front of the portrait of a victim.

 As the ceremony drew near, the memorial became packed with people who came to remember Sewol ferry’s victims. People came to Ansan with their friends and family in the hope that the battle for truth would come to an end. Problems with unseen power and order were revealed through the Sewol incident whereby 304 people lost their lives. In response to questions asked, the government and the perpetrators remained silent. The families of the deceased experienced excruciating pain. The media wrote provocative articles being negligent of their duty. On the internet, people expressed their deep sorrow for the victims at the time. But, I realize that many people have forgotten it now. I hope the memorial today will lead to the revealing of the truth.

 At the memorial ceremony, a father of one victim promised that he would never give up. One victim’s younger sister expressed her anger towards the irresponsible adults. A teacher was unable to hold back his tears, blaming his inability to change the situation. A singer expressed condolences by singing a song as father of child who is similar age with children who died from the Sewol ferry disaster. Representing people, they talked about solutions, rage, sadness, and the irrationalities of our society.

“I can’t remember. It’s not my fault.”

 Lately, the president said that investigation into Sewol could not be undertaken for financial reasons. It was not surprising as is was the same last year. In the first hearing that took place in 2015, the government and the parliament did not provide any place.

 In the hearing, all witnesses repeatedly said that they couldn’t remember as if they were parrots. “It is not my fault.” “I was too busy.” “It was the best.” “It was the children who failed to react appropriately to the danger.” “The children were immature.” These were the words of the witnesses. The chief of the coast guard even got angry about the fact that he would have to attend a hearing scheduled to be held for 3 days. One of the victims’ parents showed the picture of the rotting corpse of his son. Let us see how deeply they were hurt and find out what the hidden truth is. One parent engaged in self-harm. The media did not make the headlines of the Sewol court hearing in 2015.

 It is hard to believe that Sewol was a mere accident. There is no reason for the people involved to lie if it was an accident. Why don’t they say anything? The government has tried to finalize the case by providing compensation to the victims’ families and people made them materialistic people. People’s lives were calculated in terms of money by the government. The truth was buried. People became cynical about the issue, and then lost their interest. The social justice seems to be insignificant.

 The parliament must do something about this issue this year. They must not make the Sewol ferry disaster a political issue anymore. It is not enough for them to say that the bill cannot be passed by the parliament. Certainly, they have to punish the sick society for turning its back on the truth even after seeing tears of the victims’ families.

Lack of communication and sympathy

 ‘Uncommunicative leadership’ is the words on the lips of people these days. Of course if leaders don’t level with members, the future of that group would be bleak. However, before we judge the leaders, we should look into ourselves. Blocked by a thick iron door in apartments, we don’t know who lives or what happens behind other people’s doors. What’s more, we don't want to know anything about them. It takes a knock to be neighbors, but we regard these kinds of relationships troublesome. We don’t try to get closer first. People make more and more friends on the internet through SNS, but it doesn't mean we are communicating with them. Unless we exchange our emotions with others face to face, we can’t feel them.

 Some people say the Sewol incident is boring. Some people say they don’t want to listen to it anymore. Some people think it is ridiculous to be stuck with the Sewol disaster. Some people go one step further and become sarcastic about it. The lack of communication leads to this sad reality. They don’t place themselves in the position of the victims’ families. They can break a family’s heart, because they don’t truly sympathize or care about others. How can we simply forget about the disaster that took over 300 people’s lives? We must fight for the undisclosed facts. We have to try to identify the truth behind this incident because it is a man-made disaster.

 We should not forget Sewol disaster for centuries. This tragic history should not happen again to our neighbors. It is simply not enough to resort to personal emotions. Of course, It gets boring and can be hard time. But It have to be families of victims and nations who walk into truth forest. If you find it boring to watch, you can simply not watch it. Parents, Families, Neighborhood don’t lose. If you are sick of it, just turn the channel.

 Walking together in the rain

 After the ceremony, we walked the path on which the Danwon high school students had walked. It rained off and on. It took more than one hour and was hard. It was remarkable to see many people walking together. We walked while wearing masks to deliver a message to those who opposed salvaging the sunken ferry. In the past, working class people ridiculed Yangban for doing a masked dance. Similarly, we wore masks to convey the message that we will fight against injustice. Some people held a large umbrella over a mask to avoid getting it wet.

 We have to participate and band ourselves together. The easiest way is not to forget the Sewol disaster. We can remember it whenever we see yellow ribbons. We can support those who are working to reveal the truth. Finally, we can punish people who have committed perjury. A few weeks ago, we have shown that the ruling party can be voted out. The true owners of the country are people. No matter how fierce a beast is, it cannot attack a herd of cattle. You can provide support if you so much as remember, cheer, long for themselves.