The families of some of the victims in the Sewol ferry disaster protested at South Korea's Mokpo port on Saturday, as work began to search the wreckage for the remains of the last nine victims of the 2014 sinking.

Most of the 304 people who died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014 were teenagers on a school trip.

The protesting relatives were criticising the government's decision to exclude victims' families from the investigation, demanding they be allowed to find out why their children died.

The wreck was raised from the sea floor last week, and was brought to the port on Friday.

Mokpo - 1 April 2017

1. Various of wrecked Sewol ferry at port

2. Various of victims' families protesting against investigation of Sewol ferry disaster (arguing the participation of victims' families has been excluded)

3. Victims' families holding placards, chanting

4. Tilt up from close of placard that reads (Korean) "Unveil the Truth behind Sewol", "Truth commissions for Sewol ferry" to victim's relative

5. Various of victims' families holding placards, chanting

6. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Park Eun-hee, mother of Sewol ferry victim:

"We (the victims' families) have been waiting for three years. We have to go in to find out why our children died and listen to their cries from three years ago. We have to because we are the parents. Please don't take this opportunity away from us."

7. Various of protest

8. Wide of wreck of Sewol ferry at port

9. Close of ferry's bow

10. Workers standing beneath hull

11. Various of ferry

12. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Kim Chang-jun, head of Sewol ferry investigation team:

"Regarding the way to remove the mud: because the remains (of undiscovered victims) will be very fragile, we are removing mud by hand. We have not decided whether we will be taking the mud out in bags straight from the ferry, or taking them out after keeping them on the semi-submersible vessel for a while."

13. Various of workers

14. Pan of ferry wreck

The corroding 6,800-ton ferry raised from the bottom of the sea off South Korea last week was approaching Mokpo port on Friday, where it will be searched for the remains of nine missing passengers from the 2014 sinking that killed 304.

Finding the remains of the missing victims would bring a measure of closure to one of the country's deadliest disasters.

Most of those who died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, were teenagers on a school trip, triggering a national outpouring of grief and outrage over what were seen as poor rescue efforts by the government.

The anger contributed to the ousting of President Park Geun-hye, who earlier on Friday was arrested over allegations of corruption.

Once the Sewol arrives at port, it is expected to take several days for workers to disconnect it from the transport vessel, where it had been welded in place in order to maintain balance during the trip, and further empty it of water and fuel.

The ferry will then be moved to a dry dock where workers are expected to spend weeks cleaning it and evaluating it for safety.

Investigators will then begin searching for the remains of the missing victims and for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on excessive cargo, improper storage and other issues.

Off Mokpo - 31 March 2017

1. Various of tug boats pushing transport vessel carrying wreck of Sewol ferry

2. Relatives of missing victim and media watching transport vessel and wreck from nearby by ship

3. Various of tug boats pushing transport vessel carrying wreck of Sewol ferry

4. Relative watching

5. Various of transport vessel carrying ferry docking

A 6,800-ton South Korean ferry was being brought to Mokpo port on Tuesday nearly three years after it capsized and sank in violent seas off the country's southwestern coast.

The ferry was hoisted to the surface last week, an emotional moment for South Korea as it searches for closure to one of its deadliest disasters.

More than 300 people - most of whom were students on a high school trip - died when the Sewol sank on 16 April 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching about long-ignored public safety and regulatory failures.

Mokpo - 28 March 2017

1. Various of Sewol ferry being brought toward Mokpo port following retrieval from the sea

2. Pan from relatives of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster to ferry wreck

3. Various of ferry wreck, workers

4. Various of ceremony for relatives

5. Various of relatives of victims throwing yellow roses into sea as ferry reaches port