Declaration of Establishment
We shall not forget this date – the 16th day of April in the year 2014. The following were days of grief and sorrow. The survivors and the family members of the victims have been suffering from contempt and ridicule, but also have endured a period of fierce battle against those who were against revealing the truth and therefore have demonstrated their falsehood and hypocrisy through acts of violence and injustice. We have kept the promise – “Remember, and we will stay active.” We have triggered the Candlelight Revolution in practicing the promise and have changed the power authority to bring true democracy back to life.
Facing the brutal reality of our society in the most unwanted way, the people of our nation have come together and actively worked to reform. As a result, we are now witnessing enormous transformation. However, no promise has been fully kept. A long journey has just begun – a journey to investigate the tragedy and convict those who are truly guilty and responsible. On another note, we have often witnessed further disasters since the Sewol Ferry Tragedy. Inevitable deaths still persist in these disasters. Our society is still in danger and there are numerous obstacles to overcome.
Our promise can only be kept if we continue to practice and act on the following: (1) challenging the unethical standards of putting monetary gains before endangering human, (2) changing the social system that puts efficiency over safety, and (3) ensuring the survival of our children’s dreams even in times of extreme competition. Until we succeed in our goals to eliminate tragedies like the sinking of the Sewol Ferry, in a world in which 304 victims can simply disappear, we shall not say that we have kept our promise made on April 16th.
We must continue the long journey to publicize the Sewol Ferry Tragedy and imprint it in our history. In doing so, we believe that the 4.16 Life and Security Park will raise safety awareness of our people regarding the value of human life and establish a firm culture of safety. We support the victims and we will therefore restore the affected regions. We will put our utmost effort into spreading the 4.16 Movement to investigate and punish those responsible, while building a safe society. Most importantly, the 4.16 Foundation will commit to building a safe society, where our children’s dreams and lives are protected.
To fulfil our dream of creating a world where all lives are valued and everyone’s safety is guaranteed, we hereby declare the establishment of the 4.16 Foundation, on the 1,488th day of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy after having collected our wisdom and established our commitment to those who agree to change the world for the victims and their families.