Kim Geonwoo was born on February 22, 1998. He was a member of the 10th grade class #4 at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea. He lived for 16 years, 1 month and 25 days.
Geonwoo was a loving, generous child, always giving hugs. He was his family's oldest son. He loved to take pictures, attend cooking school, and spend time with his parents. He had lots of friends, with whom he shared much laughter; he was known as 'Mosquito' in his friend group because of his small stature and high voice. He had a baby brother whom he adored unconditionally and always wanted to play with. His mother had an anxiety disorder, so Geonwoo learned compassion from an early age. He consistently made sure his mother was okay, and he was patient with her, not getting upset when she worried. Unlike most kids his age, he didn't dream of becoming famous, nor did he dream of becoming rich. All he wanted was to marry his soulmate and become a father. To Geonwoo, that wasn't too much to ask for. However, he wasn't even given the chance to live past sixteen.
Geonwoo was a victim of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. The ferry Sewol was en route to Jeju Island from Incheon, South Korea, when it capsized on April 16, 2014. The majority of the 476 people on board were 10th graders from Danwon High School who were traveling to Jeju Island for a school field trip. When the ship started to sink, the crew ordered everyone to stay in their cabins and await help. Geonwoo and most of the Danwon students on board obeyed the crew and remained in their cabins, passing the time by taking pictures and joking around with their friends. However, the coast guard only rescued those who'd come out on deck and didn't even attempt to rescue anyone inside the ship. The Korean government, ashamed at how the event unfolded, blocked volunteer rescuers and made excuses as to why rescue efforts could not continue. By the time they started recovery efforts, they were only finding bodies. There were hundreds of high schoolers, teachers and other passengers inside the ship and not a single one of them survived. The majority of them were still alive during the three hours it took for the Sewol to sink, recording videos of their ordeal and banging on the windows, begging to be saved - but they all eventually drowned or died of hypothermia. Those kids had trusted adults with their lives and were literally left to die. 304 people died in total, with 250 of them being Danwon High School students. The Sewol Ferry sinking was one of the most heartbreaking and senseless maritime tragedies to have ever happened. The students’ loved ones are still looking for answers as to why those 250 beautiful children had to die…and those answers may never come.
A phone belonging to another student, Park Suhyun, was recovered along with his body. On the phone, a video, taken when the ship had already sunk a considerable amount, was able to be retrieved and viewed. In the video, Geonwoo is seen handing out life jackets to his classmates and friends and going to fetch more if they didn't fit. He also helped pull a student out of the bathroom after he was stuck due to the ship tilting. His family was comforted after seeing this video. Even though Geonwoo didn't call them one last time (probably as to not worry his family), the video showed that he was trying his best to help everyone else.
His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 24. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.
Geonwoo was a loving, generous child, always giving hugs. He was his family's oldest son. He loved to take pictures, attend cooking school, and spend time with his parents. He had lots of friends, with whom he shared much laughter; he was known as 'Mosquito' in his friend group because of his small stature and high voice. He had a baby brother whom he adored unconditionally and always wanted to play with. His mother had an anxiety disorder, so Geonwoo learned compassion from an early age. He consistently made sure his mother was okay, and he was patient with her, not getting upset when she worried. Unlike most kids his age, he didn't dream of becoming famous, nor did he dream of becoming rich. All he wanted was to marry his soulmate and become a father. To Geonwoo, that wasn't too much to ask for. However, he wasn't even given the chance to live past sixteen.
Geonwoo was a victim of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. The ferry Sewol was en route to Jeju Island from Incheon, South Korea, when it capsized on April 16, 2014. The majority of the 476 people on board were 10th graders from Danwon High School who were traveling to Jeju Island for a school field trip. When the ship started to sink, the crew ordered everyone to stay in their cabins and await help. Geonwoo and most of the Danwon students on board obeyed the crew and remained in their cabins, passing the time by taking pictures and joking around with their friends. However, the coast guard only rescued those who'd come out on deck and didn't even attempt to rescue anyone inside the ship. The Korean government, ashamed at how the event unfolded, blocked volunteer rescuers and made excuses as to why rescue efforts could not continue. By the time they started recovery efforts, they were only finding bodies. There were hundreds of high schoolers, teachers and other passengers inside the ship and not a single one of them survived. The majority of them were still alive during the three hours it took for the Sewol to sink, recording videos of their ordeal and banging on the windows, begging to be saved - but they all eventually drowned or died of hypothermia. Those kids had trusted adults with their lives and were literally left to die. 304 people died in total, with 250 of them being Danwon High School students. The Sewol Ferry sinking was one of the most heartbreaking and senseless maritime tragedies to have ever happened. The students’ loved ones are still looking for answers as to why those 250 beautiful children had to die…and those answers may never come.
A phone belonging to another student, Park Suhyun, was recovered along with his body. On the phone, a video, taken when the ship had already sunk a considerable amount, was able to be retrieved and viewed. In the video, Geonwoo is seen handing out life jackets to his classmates and friends and going to fetch more if they didn't fit. He also helped pull a student out of the bathroom after he was stuck due to the ship tilting. His family was comforted after seeing this video. Even though Geonwoo didn't call them one last time (probably as to not worry his family), the video showed that he was trying his best to help everyone else.
His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 24. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.
Kim Geonwoo was born on February 22, 1998. He was a member of the 10th grade class #4 at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea. He lived for 16 years, 1 month and 25 days.
Geonwoo was a loving, generous child, always giving hugs. He was his family's oldest son. He loved to take pictures, attend cooking school, and spend time with his parents. He had lots of friends, with whom he shared much laughter; he was known as 'Mosquito' in his friend group because of his small stature and high voice. He had a baby brother whom he adored unconditionally and always wanted to play with. His mother had an anxiety disorder, so Geonwoo learned compassion from an early age. He consistently made sure his mother was okay, and he was patient with her, not getting upset when she worried. Unlike most kids his age, he didn't dream of becoming famous, nor did he dream of becoming rich. All he wanted was to marry his soulmate and become a father. To Geonwoo, that wasn't too much to ask for. However, he wasn't even given the chance to live past sixteen.
Geonwoo was a victim of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. The ferry Sewol was en route to Jeju Island from Incheon, South Korea, when it capsized on April 16, 2014. The majority of the 476 people on board were 10th graders from Danwon High School who were traveling to Jeju Island for a school field trip. When the ship started to sink, the crew ordered everyone to stay in their cabins and await help. Geonwoo and most of the Danwon students on board obeyed the crew and remained in their cabins, passing the time by taking pictures and joking around with their friends. However, the coast guard only rescued those who'd come out on deck and didn't even attempt to rescue anyone inside the ship. The Korean government, ashamed at how the event unfolded, blocked volunteer rescuers and made excuses as to why rescue efforts could not continue. By the time they started recovery efforts, they were only finding bodies. There were hundreds of high schoolers, teachers and other passengers inside the ship and not a single one of them survived. The majority of them were still alive during the three hours it took for the Sewol to sink, recording videos of their ordeal and banging on the windows, begging to be saved - but they all eventually drowned or died of hypothermia. Those kids had trusted adults with their lives and were literally left to die. 304 people died in total, with 250 of them being Danwon High School students. The Sewol Ferry sinking was one of the most heartbreaking and senseless maritime tragedies to have ever happened. The students’ loved ones are still looking for answers as to why those 250 beautiful children had to die…and those answers may never come.
A phone belonging to another student, Park Suhyun, was recovered along with his body. On the phone, a video, taken when the ship had already sunk a considerable amount, was able to be retrieved and viewed. In the video, Geonwoo is seen handing out life jackets to his classmates and friends and going to fetch more if they didn't fit. He also helped pull a student out of the bathroom after he was stuck due to the ship tilting. His family was comforted after seeing this video. Even though Geonwoo didn't call them one last time (probably as to not worry his family), the video showed that he was trying his best to help everyone else.
His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 24. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.
Geonwoo was a loving, generous child, always giving hugs. He was his family's oldest son. He loved to take pictures, attend cooking school, and spend time with his parents. He had lots of friends, with whom he shared much laughter; he was known as 'Mosquito' in his friend group because of his small stature and high voice. He had a baby brother whom he adored unconditionally and always wanted to play with. His mother had an anxiety disorder, so Geonwoo learned compassion from an early age. He consistently made sure his mother was okay, and he was patient with her, not getting upset when she worried. Unlike most kids his age, he didn't dream of becoming famous, nor did he dream of becoming rich. All he wanted was to marry his soulmate and become a father. To Geonwoo, that wasn't too much to ask for. However, he wasn't even given the chance to live past sixteen.
Geonwoo was a victim of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. The ferry Sewol was en route to Jeju Island from Incheon, South Korea, when it capsized on April 16, 2014. The majority of the 476 people on board were 10th graders from Danwon High School who were traveling to Jeju Island for a school field trip. When the ship started to sink, the crew ordered everyone to stay in their cabins and await help. Geonwoo and most of the Danwon students on board obeyed the crew and remained in their cabins, passing the time by taking pictures and joking around with their friends. However, the coast guard only rescued those who'd come out on deck and didn't even attempt to rescue anyone inside the ship. The Korean government, ashamed at how the event unfolded, blocked volunteer rescuers and made excuses as to why rescue efforts could not continue. By the time they started recovery efforts, they were only finding bodies. There were hundreds of high schoolers, teachers and other passengers inside the ship and not a single one of them survived. The majority of them were still alive during the three hours it took for the Sewol to sink, recording videos of their ordeal and banging on the windows, begging to be saved - but they all eventually drowned or died of hypothermia. Those kids had trusted adults with their lives and were literally left to die. 304 people died in total, with 250 of them being Danwon High School students. The Sewol Ferry sinking was one of the most heartbreaking and senseless maritime tragedies to have ever happened. The students’ loved ones are still looking for answers as to why those 250 beautiful children had to die…and those answers may never come.
A phone belonging to another student, Park Suhyun, was recovered along with his body. On the phone, a video, taken when the ship had already sunk a considerable amount, was able to be retrieved and viewed. In the video, Geonwoo is seen handing out life jackets to his classmates and friends and going to fetch more if they didn't fit. He also helped pull a student out of the bathroom after he was stuck due to the ship tilting. His family was comforted after seeing this video. Even though Geonwoo didn't call them one last time (probably as to not worry his family), the video showed that he was trying his best to help everyone else.
His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 24. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.
Inscription
김 건 우
요한
1998.2.22. ~ 2014.4.24.
Gravesite Details
Geonwoo's family has used the date his body was recovered as his death date on his niche.
