[Anchor]

The Danwon High School 4.16 Archive, which contains the daily lives of the victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster and the memories of their bereaved families, has been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. It has been recognized for its value as documentary heritage, capturing the pain of the disaster and the process of recovery.

Reporter Ryu Ran.

[Reporter]

A science inquiry debate competition, a tuberculosis screening, and a school trip.

Excited about the upcoming trip, a high school student crossed off the dates one by one with diagonal lines.

"Whenever I think of my friends who couldn't make it out with us, everything I do—eating, sleeping, laughing, and chatting—feels like a sin."

Deep sorrow is embedded in the records left behind by a student who survived the Sewol Ferry disaster.

The Danwon High School 4.16 Archive, a collection of records designed to remember the pain of the Sewol Ferry disaster and its victims, has been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.

The archive contains the everyday lives of Danwon High School students before their passing, public memorial activities, and the recovery efforts of the bereaved families and survivors.

It includes classroom records left by students and teachers, personal records of the victims, oral testimonies of survivors, and citizens' mourning and solidarity activities.

At the time of its nomination last year, the Korean Advisory Committee for the UNESCO Memory of World Program stated, "These materials are documented from the perspective of private citizens and bereaved families, recording the reality of a social disaster."

It also emphasized, "The very act of gathering related records and forming the archive is itself a process of healing and recovering from the pain and scars of the disaster."

With this inscription, the records of the Sewol Ferry have transcended South Korea to become a heritage to be remembered together around the world.

Bereaved families and related organizations welcomed the news, expressing hope that "the memory of the disaster will lead to life and safety education for future generations."

(Video Editing: Shin Seeun, File Photo: Heritage Administration)