South Korean ferry crew member, 22, hailed as hero as it’s revealed she sacrificed her life to save passengers

A 22-year-old crew member on board the doomed South Korean ferry has been revealed as a hero, after she lost her life saving passengers rather than fleeing the ship.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

Park Lee Joung, who is one of the confirmed dead, helped young students to get life jackets and to make their escape as the ferry began to sink.

Her heroism was revealed when a man with head injuries turned up at her memorial, saying that he was 'indebted' to the young crew member, who had placed a towel on his wound and helped him as the water rose.

The ship sank off the coast last week
The ship sank off the coast last week

She also apparently ran to another floor of the ship in order to gather life jackets for passengers, and when she was asked why she wasn't wearing one, told them that crew members would be last.

Sadly, this seems not to have been the case for several other crew members - who are now facing legal action for not fulfilling their duty to evacuate passengers from the ship. The official death toll has now reaches 108, with most relatives now accepting that the rescue mission has turned into a recovery operation.

A passenger being evacuated from the ship last week

The South Korean president condemned the actions of the captain and crew, calling them 'akin to murder.'

Over two thirds of the people on board the ferry were high school students from Seoul on a school trip.

A message in Lee Joung Park's memorial room read: 'We will not forget your noble spirit,' whilst another said: 'We will always remember your sacrifice.'

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