Lee Mi-kyung, whose son was one of the 250 children who died in South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster 10 years ago, has turned to the stage to cope with her grief and anger. The Sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014. Most of the 304 who died were high school children on an excursion to Jeju island.

Ansan-si

Lee Mi-kyung, a mother who lost her son in South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster, has been coping with her grief and anger through the stage, a decade after the tragedy. The Sewol ferry, which sank on April 16, 2014, resulted in the loss of 304 lives, the majority being high school students on a trip to Jeju Island. Among the victims were 250 children, highlighting the magnitude of the tragedy that has left families devastated and searching for ways to deal with their loss.



South Korea ferry disaster: a mother's grief 10 years on

Lee Mi-kyung works through her pain on the stage. Her son, Young-man, was one of 250 children who died in South Korea's Seoul ferry disaster ten years ago. In this play, seven mothers who lost children in the disaster explore their journey of mourning. I will no longer hide in the darkness, nor be defeated by sorrow, nor cry in despair. I will live a life that shines brighter and is happier than anyone else's. Listening to the voice of my heart conveys, I want to dream every day for myself and live out this new life that our Young-man has given me in the most wonderful way possible. The Seoul ferry sank on April 16th, 2014. Most of the 304 who died were high school children on an excursion to Jeju Island. The scenes of the vessel sinking on live TV stunned South Korea and outrage has not abated over time. The play is one of five that Lee and other mothers have performed over the last eight years. They remember their children and mourn, but they also call for justice and answers as to how so many children, who were told to stay in the ship's cabins, died while the captain and crew escaped. I'm so grateful to be able to live as my true self through theatre. And I think of theatre as a method of fighting. It has become a tool for fighting, for uncovering the truth behind the Sewol ferry disaster. I'm thankful for that. The ship's structure had been illegally modified and it was overloaded. Safety regulations were ignored, rescue efforts were slow and largely ineffective. Young-man was 17 years old. Lee's thoughts often wander to the road where she saw him off to school that day. Young-man, it's already been 10 years. I believe you are living happily there. I always keep you in my heart, trying to be happy myself, to make you happy. I'm working hard in theatre. The captain is serving a life sentence and other members of the crew are also in jail. But no other people have been found accountable. There have been a number of investigations and inquiries into the disaster, but the mothers say none have provided the answers they are seeking.

Spain's Prime Minister said he has decided to stay in office after days of publicly weighing his future, generating relief amongst leftist allies, exasperation among the public and ridicule from his opponents. Sanchez said last week that he was retreating from public duty to decide whether to quit.

Madrid

Pedro Sanchez stays on as Spain's prime minister

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is hopeful Hamas will accept an “extraordinarily generous” offer, as U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron says it will include a 40-day ceasefire. But the sticking points remain: Israelis want a truce while Hamas demands a cessation of all hostilities.

Riyadh

Israel-Gaza War

U.S., U.K. urge Hamas to accept Israeli truce proposal

G7 environment ministers have gathered in Turin for two days of talks, as hundreds of protesters demonstrated in the city, some burning photos of the G7 leaders who they accuse of failing future generations over the climate crisis.

Turin

Climate Crisis

Protesters call for climate action ahead of G7 meeting in Turin

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne is in the Lebanese capital Beirut for talks aimed at easing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. After meeting Lebanon’s influential Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, and the head of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, Sejourne said there had been “a lot of progress” over the French proposals.

Beirut

French FM says ‘a lot of progress’ in Lebanon talks

At least four people are dead, including an infant, after a series of tornadoes swept across Oklahoma. The weather system is threatening the region with more twisters, heavy rain and large hail in a band stretching from Missouri to Texas.

Sulphur

At least four dead in Oklahoma tornadoes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she would stand in upcoming European Parliament elections, a move apparently calculated to boost her far-right party, although she would be forced to resign immediately under EU rules.

Pescara

Italian far-right PM Meloni says will stand in EU elections

At least four people died, including a four-month-old baby, in Oklahoma this weekend, after dozens of twisters swept the U.S. Southern Plains. The White House said, President Joe Biden has pledged federal support for Oklahoma as well as other states hit by severe storms.

Oklahoma

Deadly tornadoes rip through Oklahoma

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Wakeley

Sydney bishop returns to pulpit after stabbing

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Canberra

Protest leaders hit out at Prime Minister over power 'abuse'

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "reiterated his clear position" on a possible invasion of the Gaza border city of Rafah, the White House said.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Biden tells Netanyahu U.S. doesn't support Rafah assault

Ukraine's top general says his troops have been forced to retreat as fighting on the country's eastern front intensified. Kyiv's forces have fallen back to new positions in at least three places along the front, west of the Donetsk region.

Donetsk

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine troops retreating on eastern front

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on an unannounced visit, to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of Full Self-Driving software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Shanghai

Elon Musk makes surprise visit to China

Hamas's armed wing released video of two men held hostage in Gaza who are seen alive and urging Israeli authorities to strike a deal for the release of all the remaining captives.

Rafah

Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages

Defence Minister Richard Marles has revealed a fresh aid package to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, including $30 million in funding for drones. It marks more than one billion dollars in funding from Australia since the war began.

Lviv

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Prime Minister joins rally calling for end to gendered violence

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Thousands block Tel Aviv streets in protest

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Israel 'gearing up' for Rafah ground offensive

Ohio police released video of a Black man who died at a local hospital after repeatedly telling officers "I can't breathe" as they pinned him to the floor of a bar and handcuffed him, evoking memories of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Canton

'I can't breathe' man tells Ohio cops before death

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Sderot

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Jerusalem

US begins building floating base to boost aid

King Charles will return to his public duties next week for the first time since his February cancer diagnosis, visiting a cancer treatment centre. There fears his Australian trip will be delayed, while he continues treatment for his own cancer battle.

Windsor

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Council of the City of Sydney

Thousands rally across Australia against domestic violence

The Russian and Turkish flags were lowered to mark the closure of a center set up to monitor a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Russian peacekeepers ended a multi-year deployment in the strategic South Caucasus region.

Baku

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Britain's King Charles will return to public duties next week for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer as he makes good progress following treatment and a period of recuperation, Buckingham Palace said.

London

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Paris

Pro-Palestinian protesters still occupying Sciences Po campus

The number of people killed in floods in Kenya due to heavier than usual rainfall since the start of the monsoon in March has risen to 70, a government spokesperson said Friday. Kenya and other countries in East Africa, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, have been pounded by heavier than usual rainfall in recent weeks, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.

Nairobi

Kenya flood death toll since March climbs to 70

An Australian journalist has been named as a key figure in Donald Trump's criminal trial. Dylan Howard, the former editor of the National Enquirer in the U.S. accused of buying and burying negative stories as part of a deal to help him become President.

New York

U.S. Presidential Election

The Australian journalist caught up in Trump trial

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Marsden Park

Mourners farewell Bondi security guard Faraz Tahir

After a crucial hearing, U.S. Supreme Court justices are weighing arguments for and against Donald Trump's claims of presidential immunity from 2020 election interference charges, but a ruling will take time.