Korea confirms it will salvage Sewol－ho ferry 세월호 인양 9월 착수 ″1년 6개월 소요 예상＆

The Korean government has confirmed... that it will begin work on recovering the Sewol－ho ferry， which sank off the country′s southwestern coast in April last year. But the actual salvage operation is not likely to start immediately. Our Laah Hyun－kyung has the latest. There′s a lot of work to be done before the ferry can be raised. But first， the task force will go about selecting a company for the job. One of the first obstacles they will have to deal with is the monsoon season， which typically ends in August. Given those factors， it′s likely the actual salvage operation won′t begin until September， according to Korea′s maritime minister. ″The government will also come up with a thorough plan to prevent the missing bodies that may still be trapped inside the ship from being lost during the operation.″ The sinking of the Sewol－ho ferry is remembered as the most tragic accident in Korea last year. It left 304 passengers － most of them high school students － dead. Nine bodies are still unaccounted for. The government says lifting the 68－hundred ton vessel will cost an estimated 93 million U.S. dollars，... though the actual cost could be nearly twice as much because of the associated risks. ″The primary risk is that the Sewol－ho is a vessel built more than 20 years ago， so the body is corroded.″ The public safety minister also said... the degree of corrosion increases the risk of the structure falling apart，... as the salvage team attempts to raise the vessel， which is lying on its left side， without righting it. Wednesday′s announcement was not unexpected， as President Park Geun－hye had said last week that her administration would try to raise the vessel as soon as possible. The government still under fire for the way it handled the disaster emphasized Wednesday... that it will continue to communicate with the bereaved families throughout the operation. Laah Hyun－kyung， Arirang News.