Shinwook Kang

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Shinwook Kang

Birth
South Korea
Death
16 Apr 2014 (aged 17)
At Sea
Burial
Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Add to Map
Plot
4107233
Memorial ID
View Source
Kang Shinwook was born on February 12, 1997. He was a member of the 10th grade class #4 at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea. He lived for 17 years, 2 months and 4 days.

Shinwook was a resilient boy. His parents had separated, leaving Shinwook to be raised by his father and grandmother, who later passed away. The family was poor. Shinwook was forced to grow up too fast. He became quiet and withdrawn. Despite his difficult circumstances, he didn't give up. He had many friends with whom he liked to play football. He had a part-time job putting up flyers and peeling wall paint. When he entered high school, he signed up for the business program, in hopes that he'd make lots of money one day. He was planning for what he expected to be a bright and hopeful future.

Shinwook 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. Shinwook 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.

His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 29. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.

Thank you to Brenda for sponsoring Shinwook's memorial!
Kang Shinwook was born on February 12, 1997. He was a member of the 10th grade class #4 at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea. He lived for 17 years, 2 months and 4 days.

Shinwook was a resilient boy. His parents had separated, leaving Shinwook to be raised by his father and grandmother, who later passed away. The family was poor. Shinwook was forced to grow up too fast. He became quiet and withdrawn. Despite his difficult circumstances, he didn't give up. He had many friends with whom he liked to play football. He had a part-time job putting up flyers and peeling wall paint. When he entered high school, he signed up for the business program, in hopes that he'd make lots of money one day. He was planning for what he expected to be a bright and hopeful future.

Shinwook 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. Shinwook 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.

His body was recovered and returned to his loving family on April 29. He is now resting at the Ansan Sky Memorial Park.

Thank you to Brenda for sponsoring Shinwook's memorial!

Inscription

강 신 욱
✝ 성도
1997.2.12. ~ 2014.4.29.

Gravesite Details

Shinwook's family has used the date his body was recovered as his death date on his urn.