The sunken passenger ferry Sewol is seen in waters off Jindo Island, South Korea, March 23, 2017. The sunken South Korean passenger ferry Sewol was lifted successfully, officials said on Saturday. [Photo/Xinhua]

The hindrance seemed to have much to do with the so-called "lost 7 hours" of former President Park.

Speculation says Park failed to normally handle rescue operations for the first seven hours of the sinking, leading to the initial bungling of rescue operations and the massive deaths of passengers.

Park's whereabouts was one of the key subjects of the investigation by special prosecutors, who had probed the corruption scandal for 70 days through the end of February but found few clues to it.

One of the bereaved families said on the main stage during the Saturday demonstration that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries tasked with the salvaging operations was seeking to dismantle the Sewol ferry on the excuse of inspection, asking people to help the wreckage left intact.

Leaving the vessel untouched would be one of the most important things in future examinations to find the clear cause of the disaster.

Over 100 holes have been drilled in the hull on the pretext of the salvaging operation, but it raised doubts about what was behind the drilling.