By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

THE bodies of three students who drowned in the waters off Forbidden Island on Friday will be flown to Seoul, South Korea tonight where they will be buried, while the remains of the fourth victim will be laid to rest at the Tanapag cemetery this morning.
The caskets of Mi Ra Yang, 20, Sang Won Seo, 19, and Jin Ah Kim, 18, will be flown to South Korea while the burial ceremony for Jung Hwan Ku, 24, in Tanapag is to take place at 10 a.m. today.
Yang was the girlfriend of Seo, whose body was found on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Lei Ogumoro said Seo’s body was found by a group of certified divers who were hired to join the search and rescue operation on Friday and Saturday.
Seo was brought to the Commonwealth Health Center where he was pronounced dead due to drowning by Dr. Aarron Fitzpatrick at 7:10 p.m.
Ku, Seo and Yang were exchange students at Northern Marianas College while Kim was a student atMt. Carmel School.
A fifth victim, who survived the incident, is Hyun Ha, 18, a student at Marianas High School.
Hyun Ha sustained scratches and lacerations to the body but he is now in stable condition.
Ha has been released from the hospital and is now resting at home, his friends told Variety yesterday.
The bodies of the four fatalities were still at CHC yesterday as their families, friends and some members of the Korean Association of Saipan conducted vigils in the hospital’s chapel.
Ku’s cousin June Sung Han, who arrived here on Sunday, said he and Ku were very close.
The cousin said he and Ku were like brothers.
June Sung Han celebrated his 24th birthday on Friday, the day his cousin died.
June Sung Han said it was his most memorable birthday, adding he was still celebrating it when he received the bad news over the phone at 7 p.m. on Friday.
June Sung Han arrived from South Korea on Sunday.
He said he lived on Saipan for six years before returning to South Korea to study film-making at a university there.
According to June Sung Han, the last time he spoke with Ku was two months ago over the phone.
The four fatalities and Hyun Ha were among 17 students who went to Forbidden Island on Friday, which was a holiday.
The group was hiking on the southern side of the island near the reef line when a big wave crashed over the reef and carried the individuals out to sea.
Personnel at the Department of Public Safety, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy immediately began search and rescue operations.
Yang, Ku, Kim and Ha were pulled out of the water and, with the exception of Ha, they were already unconscious, with no pulse.
The four were all brought to CHC for treatment. Yang, Ku and Kim were pronounced dead at 6:41 p.m. on Friday due to drowning.
Ha was treated for minor scratches and lacerations.
Seo’s body was found the following day.