Bedrooms of the remembered

Bedrooms of the remembered

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Jung Hwi-beom was among the 250 students and teachers from Danwon High School who died in the Sewol ferry disaster. His family, including his mother Shin Jum-ja (right) and younger brother, Jung Soo-beom, have kept his room as he left it as a memorial to him.

Nearly a year on from the April 16 disaster, which killed a total of 304 people, many of the grieving parents in this industrial city on the outskirts of Seoul have left their lost children's bedrooms intact, unable to put away mementos and items of daily use.

. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Clothes, mobile phones and other personal belongings remain in Jung’s bedroom.

"Before the accident, my family talked a lot. Now we save our words, trying not to hurt each other, Shin said. “I am eager to see Hwi-beom just once. I wish I could hug him.”

. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The ship was later found to have been overloaded and structurally unsound and a rescue operation widely seen to have been botched, emotions still run high among victims' families.

Anger and shame persist for many in a country that was traumatised by the disaster.

Legislation over an investigation into the sinking is snarled in political wrangling, amid public demands for the government to raise the ship and retrieve nine bodies still missing.

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Jung Bu-ja (right) and Shin Chang-sik, parents of Shin Ho-sung, stand in their son's room. "I was protesting, asking for an inquiry to find out the real reason why the ferry capsized,” Jung said. “All I wanted to know was the reason why the crewmen were all rescued but our children had to die.”

Shin Ho-sung’s school blazer, shirt and tie are kept amid the belongings treasured by his family. His dream was to become a Korean language teacher.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Shin Ho-sung’s school blazer, shirt and tie are kept amid the belongings treasured by his family. His dream was to become a Korean language teacher.

The schoolboy’s personal belongings include his wallet and headphones.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The schoolboy’s personal belongings include his wallet and headphones.

A guitar rests against the wall of Shin Ho-sung’s bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A guitar rests against the wall of Shin Ho-sung’s bedroom.

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“Spring has come and flowers are blossoming, but moms cannot smile,” said Lee Sun-mi, mother of Kim Ju-hee, standing by her daughter’s bed. “The world after the tragedy is not the place that I had known.”

Kim Ju-hee’s dream was to become a doctor.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Ju-hee’s dream was to become a doctor.

A trophy, cosmetics and stationery are among objects on shelves in Kim Ju-hee’s bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A trophy, cosmetics and stationery are among objects on shelves in Kim Ju-hee’s bedroom.

Books, including English textbooks, and a stuffed toy are stored on the shelves.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Books, including English textbooks, and a stuffed toy are stored on the shelves.

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“The Sewol disaster taught us about the problems of our society and adults should make efforts to fix them, although it’s too late,” said Jung Hye-suk, mother of Park Sung-ho. “We have to strive to prevent any reoccurrence of this disaster.”

Park Sung-ho’s dream was to become a priest.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Park Sung-ho’s dream was to become a priest.

A backpack hangs on a chair in his bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A backpack hangs on a chair in his bedroom.

A polo shirt hangs on a wardrobe in the schoolboy’s bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A polo shirt hangs on a wardrobe in the schoolboy’s bedroom.

"Please don’t forget our children,' I kept on hearing."
Kim Hongji, Reuters Photographer

I will always remember the day, April 16, 2014, when I took photos of the ferry disaster.

Nor will I ever forget the reaction of parents in front of the bodies of their loved ones. I heard mothers crying when they saw the bodies recovered from the sea.

It was very distressing to take photographs of them at that moment partly because I had never experienced grieving that intense before.

Recently, approaching the first anniversary of the tragedy, I happened to meet a community group through a photographer friend. The group is called ‘4/16 achievements’, referring to the date of the accident and the achievements of the children up to the time of their death.

This community group had been trying to collect children’s belongings given by their families as a way to remember those who lost their lives.

I came up with the idea for this series of photos to mark the first anniversary when talking with members of this group.

Families of the dead had gathered in a square in central Seoul to protest, calling for an official enquiry into the sinking. I explained my idea to the people I met there. Twelve families accepted my proposal.

All of the relatives I met as part of this project wanted me to take photos of them standing in front of their loved ones’ belongings.

“Please don’t forget our children,” I kept on hearing parents say.

Before taking the photographs, I talked with family members for about 30 minutes and asked them to stand in their children’s room.

They stood calmly in front of my camera but I felt it was like a protest combined with deep sorrow, calling for their children not to be forgotten.

Even so it was very hard to take these photos. I saw the eyes of the family member through my lens and I felt their deep sorrow.

It was an immense sadness I had to face when I took the pictures.

When I visited the first family, I saw a note that said, “Ha-yeong’s dream is to become an international aid worker” on a girl’s desk.

That prompted me to ask about other children’s ambitions during my visits to the families.

“As I see photos of the children, each and every one of them is pretty and precious,” said Kim Mi-hwa, mother of a boy called Bin Ha-yong.

“All of them had dreams,” she said. “They could have become a president, a minister, a famous artist. It’s a tremendous loss for our country.”

Her son talked about becoming an illustrator. I remember seeing the drawings left behind in his room.

Of the 325 students on board the sunken ferry Sewol, 250 never returned to their families. On that day a year ago, 250 dreams sank with them.

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Eom Ji-yeong, mother of Park Ye-ji, stands in her daughter's room.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Eom Ji-yeong, mother of Park Ye-ji, stands in her daughter's room.

Park Ye-ji appears in a photo with her schoolmates when she was 15.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Park Ye-ji appears in a photo with her schoolmates when she was 15.

A stuffed toy sits on the bedroom floor of schoolgirl Park Ye-ji.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A stuffed toy sits on the bedroom floor of schoolgirl Park Ye-ji.

Kim Mi-hwa, mother of Bin Ha-yong, stands by her son’s desk.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Mi-hwa, mother of Bin Ha-yong, stands by her son’s desk.

A decorative object remains in the bedroom of schoolboy Bin Ha-yong.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A decorative object remains in the bedroom of schoolboy Bin Ha-yong.

Bin Ha-yong’s artwork is piled up in his bedroom. He wanted to become an illustrator.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Bin Ha-yong’s artwork is piled up in his bedroom. He wanted to become an illustrator.

Kim Yu-jeong, mother of Jeon Ha-yeong, stands by the bed of her daughter.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Yu-jeong, mother of Jeon Ha-yeong, stands by the bed of her daughter.

Bedding rests on the bed of Jeon Ha-yeong.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Bedding rests on the bed of Jeon Ha-yeong.

Pictures hang in the bedroom of schoolgirl Jeon Ha-yeong.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Pictures hang in the bedroom of schoolgirl Jeon Ha-yeong.

Lee Hye-kyung, Jeon Hyeon-tak’s mother, said his body was discovered on May 1, 2014.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Lee Hye-kyung, Jeon Hyeon-tak’s mother, said his body was discovered on May 1, 2014.

An old picture of Jeon Hyeon-tak stands in his bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

An old picture of Jeon Hyeon-tak stands in his bedroom.

The shoes worn as a baby by Jeon Hyeon-tak, a high school student.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The shoes worn as a baby by Jeon Hyeon-tak, a high school student.

Huh Heung-hwan (right) and Park Eun-mi, parents of Huh Da-yoon, sit on their daughter’s bed.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Huh Heung-hwan (right) and Park Eun-mi, parents of Huh Da-yoon, sit on their daughter’s bed.

The dog of high school student Huh Da-yoon stands on her bed.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The dog of high school student Huh Da-yoon stands on her bed.

A painting by schoolgirl Huh Da-yoon hangs on her bedroom wall.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A painting by schoolgirl Huh Da-yoon hangs on her bedroom wall.

Kim Young-lae (right) and Kim Sung-sil, parents of Kim Dong-hyuk, stand in their son’s bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Young-lae (right) and Kim Sung-sil, parents of Kim Dong-hyuk, stand in their son’s bedroom.

Balls and a baseball glove remain in the bedroom of schoolboy Kim Dong-hyuk.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Balls and a baseball glove remain in the bedroom of schoolboy Kim Dong-hyuk.

A diary written on June 14, 2014, by Kim Young-lae, the father of Kim Dong-hyuk, lays in his son’s room.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A diary written on June 14, 2014, by Kim Young-lae, the father of Kim Dong-hyuk, lays in his son’s room.

Ahn Myeong-mi said she couldn’t pray for a while after the death of her daughter Moon Ji-sung.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Ahn Myeong-mi said she couldn’t pray for a while after the death of her daughter Moon Ji-sung.

The clothes of Moon Ji-sung, who dreamt of becoming a flight attendant, hang in the schoolgirl’s bedroom.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The clothes of Moon Ji-sung, who dreamt of becoming a flight attendant, hang in the schoolgirl’s bedroom.

A picture of Moon Ji-sung hangs on her bedroom wall.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A picture of Moon Ji-sung hangs on her bedroom wall.

Kim Youn-sil, mother of Jeong Cha-woong, said she no longer has confidence in her country following her son’s death.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Kim Youn-sil, mother of Jeong Cha-woong, said she no longer has confidence in her country following her son’s death.

Swords rest on the bed of schoolboy Jeong Cha-woong.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Swords rest on the bed of schoolboy Jeong Cha-woong.

A Rubik's cube rests on the bedroom shelf of schoolboy Jeong Cha-woong.
. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A Rubik's cube rests on the bedroom shelf of schoolboy Jeong Cha-woong.

. ANSAN, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji