Three people have been identified based on the remains found since the search operations for nine people who were unaccounted for began April 18.

Another set of remains found last month have been confirmed to be those of student Cho Eun-hwa and a bone fragment found near the site of the sinking the same month was also identified to be that of missing teacher Ko Chang-seok.

The 6,800-ton Sewol ferry sank off the country's southwestern coast near Jindo Island on April 16, 2014, claiming the lives of 304 people, mostly high school students on a school excursion.

The hull was raised from the bottom of the sea and put into dry dock at a local port in Mokpo, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul, in April. (Yonhap)