Sewol survivor dies 12 years after ferry disaster; mourners say she has 'gone to join friends at Ansan park'

Twelve years after the Sewol ferry disaster, one of the students who survived the tragedy has died, it has emerged.

Yoo Gyeong-geun, former executive chairman of the Sewol Ferry Disaster Bereaved Families Association, announced the death of survivor A on Saturday through his Instagram account.

"[Name] has gone to join friends at Ansan Sky Park," Yoo wrote. "Many people shared in the grief. I hope people will not forget that survivors and civilian divers are victims too, not just those who died and their bereaved families."

He also urged people to stop telling survivors they must "live hard enough for the friends who went first," saying some survivors struggle just to get through each day, weighed down by guilt over being the ones who came back alive.

"Watching [name] go, I feel deeply sorry when I think of the survivors who are still hiding away and suffering in silence," he added.

The deceased was one of 172 students rescued from the Sewol disaster on April 16, 2014. She had struggled psychologically in the years since, haunted by memories of friends who perished.

In a 2015 interview, the survivor's father said his daughter had gone through a difficult period after the accident, but added that she was adjusting well thanks to the concern and encouragement of those around her.

She later set her sights on becoming a teacher and prepared to enter university, drawing widespread support when news spread that she was sitting the college entrance exam. Her father said she had initially refused to apply through a special Sewol admissions track, saying she hated the idea, but that her dream was to become a teacher.

The Sewol disaster occurred when the passenger ferry Sewol, sailing from Incheon to Jeju, sank off Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province, on April 16, 2014, killing or leaving missing 304 passengers. Among the victims were 250 second-year students and 11 teachers from Danwon High School, who had been on a school trip.