Today 70 students in South Korea return to school for the first time since the tragic ferry sunk on April 16 that left more than 300 dead.
BBC footage shows parents and fellow classmates lined up greeting the survivors as they cross through the gates towards the school. Many overwhelmed with tears, while the students shows a glimmer of strength voiced by one survivor that we need to move on and begin a normal life- this is what the other classmates would want. Parents share the same sentiment, despite the emotional difficulties some face.
There is a different tone in court seeking justice for the total 304 believed bodies died out of the 476 aboard the ship. 293 bodies have been discovered while 11 remain missing, including the recent female body discovery by hours of extensive search from scuba divers.
The crew aboard the ferry is being charged with negligence and abandoning ship, while the captain and three officers face more serious charges of "homicide through willful negligence."
The lawyer representing Captain Lee Joon-sok plans to contest the claim as the motive of the crew was not murder- he told BBC News.
The trial has already begun and has yet to conclude the verdict. Perhaps the return of the surviving ferry students to school and the conclusion of the trial will permit South Korea to move forward from the national tragedy.
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