(Photo: Yonhap News)

President Moon Jae-in has renewed calls for a thorough investigation into the Sewol ferry tragedy that rocked South Korea more than seven years.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the president made the request Friday as he appointed Lee Hyun-joo, a veteran lawyer, as the special prosecutor for a fact-finding probe into the sinking on April 16, 2014.

The accident, the worst maritime disaster in the country's history, killed more than 300 people, most of them high school students.

In a conversation with Lee, Moon said the incident "left a big scar and a sense of sorrow not only on the victims and the surviving families but also on our society."

Lee responded to the president's comment by saying he will do his best to uncover the truth behind the Sewol sinking.