It was four years ago today, on April 16th, 2014,... when the Sewol-ho ferry that was heading to Jeju Island from Incheon,... capsized in the waters off South Korea's southwest coast near Jindo Island,... leaving 304 dead-- 5 of them still missing.<br />To mark the fourth anniversary of the disaster,... various memorial events were held nationwide over the weekend.<br />And today, in just under an hour,... the first government-sponsored memorial will begin in Ansan.<br />Our Park Hee-jun is live at the site for us.<br />Hee-jun, can you tell us more about the memorial?<br /><br /> Ji-yoon, I'm at the Hwarang Amusement Park in Ansan , Gyeonggi-do Province,... where the memorial service will be held in about an hour at 3 PM.<br />The city is home to Danwon High School,... which lost more than 260 of its students and teachers to the Sewol-ho disaster.<br /> Around 5-thousand people, including Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, political party leaders, and of course, the families of the victims will be attending the service to pay tribute to the victims.<br />Authorities and the people of Ansan have been preparing for the event all day, and many people are here already.<br />It's definitely a sad and mournful atmosphere here.<br />Take a listen to some of the people who have come to pay their respects.<br /><br />"As a parent myself, I feel terrible every time I come here. I came today, because it's the only time I can be with the victims."<br /><br />"My eldest child is the same age as the victims. That day,... I saw my son come back from school, and could not imagine what the victims' parents must have been going through. I think this is the only way we can be with the victims,... so I came."<br /><br /> The two-hour service will include commemorative performances, religious services, and then a floral tribute.<br />And after today,... the memorial facility will be pulled down and turned into a separate area for the victims and their families.<br /><br />I'll have more updates for our next newscast. Jiyoon. <br />
