The South Korean government on Wednesday said it will soon begin compensating the families of the victims of last year's deadly ferry capsize that killed over 300 people.
The 6,825-tonne ferry Sewol sank off the country's southwestern coast near the island of Jindo on April 16 en route to the southern resort island of Jeju.
A total of 304 people, mostly students on a field trip, have been confirmed dead, while nine remain unaccounted for. A total of 157 survived.
The government compensation for each student is expected to reach about 420 million won (about $380,000) and 760 million won (about $690,000) for each of their teachers, who apparently stayed behind to tend to their pupils, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Compensation for others, including children and crew members, will vary depending on their age, job and expected income, the ministry said.
However, 15 crew members of the ship who have been convicted of abandoning the ship without aiding their passengers will be completely excluded from any compensation.
The 15 convicted crew members have been handed down prison terms ranging from five to 30 years while the ship's 68-year-old captain Lee Joon-seok has been sentenced to 36 years in prison.
Last week, family members of the victims urged the government to decide on the recovery of the submerged ship before the first anniversary of the sinking.
The government is yet to announce whether it will actually push ahead with its plan to salvage the sunken ship.
An official said a study on how and when the ferry should be lifted from the ocean was still underway.
