This story appears in the Francis in Korea feature series. View the full series.
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August 28, 2014
The father of one of the victims of the South Korean ferry tragedy Thursday ended a 46-day hunger strike.
Kim Young-oh, father of one of the 250 high school students who died in the Sewol shipwreck April 16, became a symbol of the families` struggle for an independent investigation into the accident.
The 47-year-old was admitted to hospital last Friday with serious symptoms of malnutrition. After nearly a week in the hospital, Kim decided to end his hunger strike because of deteriorating health and at the request of his family and other relatives of the Sewol victims.
Six days earlier Kim was visited at his protest site by Pope Francis, who later celebrated a Mass in the square.