Anticipation and hope surround Sewol-ho ferry's arrival in Mokpo

세월호 인양 9일째,... 제대로 된 수습과 진상규명을 위한 준비 The Sewol-ho arrived at its final destination of Mokpo. Some time in the coming weeks, investigators will get inside and try to find out what caused the ferry to capsize... and recover the remains of the nine victims still unaccounted for. For our news Feature tonight, Lee Ji-won outlines the preparations for the next step. A group of religious leaders gathered at Seomang-hang Harbor on Korea's southwestern coast.... early Tuesday morning... along with the families of the nine people who are still missing after the Sewol-ho ferry sinking. They gathered to hold a series of religious rites... at the place where the vessel was docked at sea... to pray for the successful recovery of their loved ones. "Though we are all of different faiths,... we are gathered here today to pray for the successful recovery of the nine missing bodies... and for the souls of the missing to rest in peace." Standing 100 kilometers from the vessel, the last place their loved ones were seen,... the families throw yellow roses into the water... sending out a wish that their sons and daughters will soon be found. "Let's go home now. Your mom will find you, and you do your best to come back to me." The sound of the moktak, a wooden handbell used by Korean monks,... was sent out over the water... and a few minutes later, prayers were read for the families and their loved ones. "We're finally seeing the sunken Sewol-ho ferry. Please help us find the last nine victims in the vessel." Nearly three years after that fateful day, the families are bracing themselves for the days and weeks ahead... when a search of the recovered vessel will be undertaken alongside an investigation into what caused the ship to go down. To prepare for the actual investigation, the families scheduled their first meeting with the members of a special Sewol-ho committee on Wednesday. The committee -- which consists of maritime and shipping technology experts, five elected by lawmakers and three by the victims' families -- was inaugurated by lawmakers on Tuesday. It will oversee both the search of the missing victims and an investigation into the exact cause of the sinking... and will manage any items that are recovered from the vessel. It will have six months to do its work, with the option of a four-month extension. There was a good deal of argument at the meeting over a number of requirements the families had hoped the committee would agree to, including that the committee will consult with the families before deciding how to proceed with the search. While the committee said they do not have the authority to agree to all of the families' requests, they promised to fulfill some of them. "We promise to give the families our plan for the search for the missing by April 5th." As the ill-fated Sewol-ho finally arrived at Mokpo New Port on Friday afternoon,... port officials had already been busy preparing the area for the investigation. Some 50 shipping container offices were ready for use by those running the search and investigation operation... and telecommunications equipment and a press center had been installed. "Now that the Sewol-ho is in its final resting place, there is high anticipation and hope that the families of the missing will find their loved ones... and the cause of the disaster will be found... so Korea can finally move on from the tragedy that's kept it in its grips for nearly three years. Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Mokpo." Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS):   / newsarirang   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld