Feature: Sewol ferry disaster one year on: still waiting for spring

Spring has come to South Korea's southwest Jindo Island where sakura blooms and trees turning green. However, the families of victims and missing passengers of the Sewol ferry disaster are still waiting for their spring.

On April 16, 2014, the ferry Sewol capsized and sank in waters off Jindo island. Among 476 passengers aboard the ship were 325 high school students on their way for a school trip. Almost 300 were killed in the disaster, two thirds of them are teenagers.

At the eve of the first anniversary of the disaster, the family members again gathered at the Pengmok harbor of Jindo island to in memory of their dearest ones.

Yoo Bae-xin, 55, arrived at Pangmok harbor early Wednesday morning. Her husband Yang Seng-jin, a 59-year-old professor of Danwon high school in the city of Ansan, is one of the nine passengers still remained missing after the ferry disaster.

She walked slowly along the trestle by the sea, where thousands of yellow ribbons tied along the railing in memory of the victims.

Sometimes she stopped, staring at the sea while mumbling her husband's name.

"My heart was full of sorrow the moment I watch the sea. I am still waiting for my husband to come back," she said with tearful eyes, placing some textbooks of his husband at the seaside.

A special ceremony was held to console the departed at the harbor. A dancer wearing white dress spanned on the stage while a male singer singing the memorial song in the deep tone, just in front of family members holding pictures of the nine missing people.

A yellow paper boat model was carried by several high school students from the stage to the sea side, following by a march of weeping family members.

The family members were then got on a ship, sailing to the spot of the sea where the accident happened. For them, it may be the only way to get closer to their lost ones.

Hundreds of citizens also spontaneously came to the small harbor on Wednesday to mourn for the victims and pray for the nine missing people. With a white feverfew in hands, they are waiting in line to pay tribute to the victims at an altar set up by the sea.

Nam Ki-chang, 47, spent ten days riding from Seoul to Jindo island with two other friends to pay respect to the victims and missing people.

"We were praying for the missing people when riding, almost 8 hours per day," said Nam, "We insisted that the government should raise the ship to find out the truth."

"To salvage both the ship and truth" --such kind of slogans were hung everywhere at Pangmok harbor, reflecting the strongest desire of the bereft families.

Expressing anger and distrust about the special team investigating the accident which composed most of the government officials, families of the ferry disaster victims have refused compensation the government offered for now and urged the government to salvage the ferry to investigate the real truth. "The government was trying to buy their silence. We demand the government to stop the compensation until an objective, fair and open investigation being carried out after salvaging the ship," said Yoo Gyoung-geun, chair of executive committee of "4.16 families of the Sewol ferry tragedy," who lost her daughter in the ferry disaster.

Some of the survivors of the disaster experienced difficulties adjusting back to daily life.

"The survivors are still living with sufferings, as they felt guilty that only they lived while others have been killed in the accident," said Jang Dong-won, father of a survived student.

In a second year classroom of Danwon High School, flowers and notes are piled up on the empty desks to pay tribute to the victims as 35 students of class 2 were killed while on one has been rescued in the disaster.

It was not easy for the students to escape from the painful memories of losing close friends. For some, smiles never appeared on their face since the disaster, as they are afraid of being blamed by society.

They became uncomfortable with wearing their school uniforms, which make them easily being recognized by others after school. They are often bothered by being asked "how much compensation do you get?" or "Will you get some privilege of entering college?"

Jang said the survived students have to go to Korea University Ansan Hospital for psychiatric treatment twice a week. The government has promised to send more psychological doctors to the high school. But by now they only have one school doctor, who finds it impossible to take care of all the students, according to Jang.

"They are keeping asking questions: Why the ferry sank like that? Why they lost their friends? Why the rescue is not effective? Only the truth can help them get back to a healthy and happy life, " said Jang. Endi