This past Chuseok weekend was the first national holiday in Korea since the Sewol Ferry tragedy. Media outlet OhmynewsTV recently followed the grieving families as they spent their Chuseok with their lost children, 146 days after the incident.
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The clip shown above starts off at the Olympic Memorial Hall located in the city of Ansan, Gyeonggi-do Province. Tearful families prepared meals that their children once enjoyed, such as hamburgers, pizza, chips, candies, along with some Korean dishes.
During the afternoon, a 'National Thanksgiving with Sewol Families' event was held at the Gwanghwamun Gate. Kim Young Oh, the grieving father who fasted for 46 days, made an appearance at the event and spoke to the crowd, thanking those who supported him during his hunger strike. Families then wrote on a balloon of the Sewol Ferry their heartfelt messages to their children, saying variations of, "Kids~ we love you. We miss you," before releasing the balloon into the air, perhaps so that the message can be conveyed to the heavens. Singer Lee Eun Mi finished off the event in the evening by holding a touching mini-concert for the grieving families.
Meanwhile, families who are still looking for answers have been holding a sit-down in front of the Cheongun-dong Community Service Center demanding to meet President Park Geun Hye, and have been doing so for their 19th day.
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