On May 27, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs disclosed that it disbursed a total of 1,250,000,000 KRW (roughly $1.13 million) to the family members of three people who lost their lives during the Sewol tragedy, as reparations for their losses.
Among the twenty people who submitted claims to receive a settlement for the loss of their loved ones, compensation was disbursed to just three. It has been two months since a special law relating to the Sewol Tragedy disaster relief was first implemented on March 29, 2015 and these remittances are the first instances in which actual reparations were disbursed; typically, all claims are handled within a month.
The Sewol Disaster Compensation Deliberative Committee, an affiliate of the Ministry, notified of its decision to compensate the remaining family members of two teachers and one student a total of 1,250,000,000 KRW. The average compensation per person is estimated to be around 416,660,000 KRW (roughly $376,000). To protect the individuals' privacies, the affiliate did not disclose the exact amount each person received; however, they explained that the reparation is similar to the projected amount of around 420,000,000 (around $379,000).
The victims' family members signed a consent form declaring that they will not raise any dissent [regarding the disbursement] and received the compensation that very day via direct deposit. The Supreme Court signed a consent that would disable the family members from claiming compensation or additional compensation through a special civil suit.
The Ministry affiliate notified of its intent to reimburse KRW 130,000,000 (around $117,000) for the sinking of twelve vehicles, another KRW 130,000,000 for lost cargo, and will disburse the compensations once they receive consent forms from the claimants. The affiliate also mentioned, "We expect that the compensation procedure for the casualties will be receiving greater support," and, "The government plans to assemble a deliberation committee for the second time around in order to relieve the victims' difficulties."
The total number of claims registered through May 26 include 20 casualties, 2 survivors, 211 cases of lost cargo, 15 cases of oil pollution, and 210 cases of lost wages for fisherman, for a total of 458 incidents.
The next deliberative committee will be held on May 29 and the verdict on fifty cases and whether they will be receiving any reparations will be decided.
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