Opposition party leader discusses follow-up measures with Sewol Ferry bereaved family

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at the Supreme Council Meeting held in Daegu, Friday. (Yonhap)

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Jae-myung, on Thursday met with the bereaved families of the Sewol Ferry sinking in 2014, and discussed follow-up measures to take.

Lee invited three committees, including the committee that represents the Sewol Ferry bereaved families, to the National Assembly early Thursday and held a closed meeting regarding the investigation result of "The Special Investigation Commission on Humidifier Disinfectants and April 16 Sewol Ferry Disasters."

The commission was launched in 2018 and concluded the investigation on June 10, leaving 12 main proposals of recommendation regarding the Sewol Ferry incident.

The proposals include an official apology from the government, investigation into the illegal surveillance on bereaved families, proper support for victims, and the release of presidential documents and records of the then-government for further clarification.

The committee representing the families called the National Assembly and Democratic Party to take action, considering the commission's proposals, and also explained the difficulties they faced while trying to build a memorial space for victims.

Lee promised to work on the issue saying, “The new special committee for Sewol Ferry incident has been established. The Democratic Party will look for its role and will carefully proceed with the measures.”

The Sewol Ferry was heading to Jeju from Incheon when it sank with 476 passengers on board near the island Jindo, South Jeolla Province, leaving 304 people dead or missing on April 16, 2014. The mismanagement of the government and the Coast Guard was blamed for aggravating the situation.