Reckless sightseers are still posing for pictures on the edge of a cliff where a 23-year-old student fell 200ft to her death despite countless pleas to learn from her fatal mistake.
Hyewon Kim, 23, had asked a stranger to take her picture but lost her footing as she landed and toppled over the Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex.
The South Korean, who had come to Britain to improve her English, suffered catastrophic head injuries after falling from the crumbling clifftop.
Pictures found on her mobile phone showed the student happily posing with her back to the cliff-edge in the seconds before her death.
But despite repeated warnings from experts and the coroner who presided over her inquest, daredevil tourists are still running the risk of falling to their deaths by posing for pictures dangerously close to the edge.
Reckless sightseers are still posing for pictures on the edge of a cliff where a 23-year-old student fell 200ft to her death despite countless pleas to learn from her fatal mistake
Another woman plays with her hair and dangles a leg over the edge of a cliff at Seven Sisters
A woman leans right over the cliff with her selfie stick as she tries to get the perfect shot of the iconic landmark in East Sussex, days after a tourist’s death
Her husband gawps down at the drop as he examines 200ft the drop down from the top, undeterred by the recent tragedy
South Korean student Hyewon Kim, 23, plunged 200ft to her death after jumping in the air for a photograph on a crumbling clifftop, an inquest was told
Tourists visiting the iconic Seven Sisters chalk cliffs near Birling Gap, East Sussex, get dangerousy close to the crumbling edge, one of whom looks quite nervous
Despite repeated warnings from experts and the coroner who presided over her inquest, daredevil tourists are still running the risk of falling to their deaths by posing for pictures dangerously close to the edge
Hyewon Kim had asked a stranger to take her picture but lost her footing as she landed and toppled over the Seven Sisters cliffs (pictured, sightseers pose by the cliffs today)
The site in East Sussex has become a hot-spot for thrill seekers and despite numerous signs warning of the dangers, tourists regularly teeter on the edge for photographs. Above, people taking risky selfies today at the cliffs
Tourists are still defying safety warnings about the dangers of climbing the Seven Sisters cliffs despite the death of a 23-year-old student there in June
More than 350,000 people visit the cliffs at Birling Gap and Seven Sisters cliffs each year.
The site has become a hot-spot for thrill seekers and despite numerous signs warning of the dangers, tourists regularly teeter on the edge for photographs.
Detective Sergeant Tod Stewart from Sussex police told an inquest in Eastbourne: ‘There were six photos of her close to the cliffs.
‘They were showing her jumping in the air extremely close to the edge.
The cliffs at Birling Gap have experienced possibly the worst coastal erosion in the UK. In 2005 it was noted they had retreated nearly 300 feet from where they had stood in 1873. Above, another person seems oblivious to the danger
One woman is pictured trying to take photos at the very edge of the clifftop where Hyewon Kim fell to her death in June
‘Her concentration is not on anything other than what she is doing. The expression on her face shows nothing but enjoyment.’
Coroner Alan Craze said: ‘She landed with one foot beyond the cliff edge and only her other foot landing on the cliff edge.
‘Every one of the photos shows her looking away from the cliff edge.
‘A lot of South East Asians like to visit because the Seven Sisters refer to the seven daughters of the Chinese deity, the Jade Emperor.
‘If people do things which put them in extreme and obvious danger, there is a limit to which they can be stopped.’
A statement by witness Young Choi, 24, said: ‘I went to the Seven Sisters for tourism. Another Korean girl, who I did not know, was there and she asked me to take photos.
Over the years, several cottages have disappeared as the cliffs have gradually been eroded. Earlier this month the steps leading down to the beach below the iconic chalk cliffs were closed due to a recent increase in cliff falls
‘As I was taking photos, she fell down. We all tried to find someone to call 999. After the 999 call, I called the Korean Embassy.’ Jin Gyeong Jang, another witness, said: ‘I saw her standing then heard sound of a bang, then she was not there. At the space where she was standing, there was just a bag.’
Fireman Richard Harrison revealed what he saw when he attended the scene. He said: ‘We discovered the body of a young female, face down. I estimated the cliffs to be between 150 to 200ft high.’
A post-mortem examination concluded that Miss Kim died from catastrophic head injuries on June 22.
The death came a day after a major rock fall further along the Sussex coast.
Mr Craze said: ‘This is a very poignant and sad case. I want to express my profound sympathy and condolences to her family.’ No family members or embassy staff attended the inquest.
The coroner said he would welcome further research into methods of preventing further deaths at the tourist spot.
Recording a verdict of misadventure, Mr Craze said: ‘This death is not unique.
The South Korean, who had come to Britain to improve her English, suffered catastrophic head injuries after falling from these cliffs (tourists walk by the cliff edge, today)
The coroner presiding over the 23-year-old’s inquest said: ‘A lot of South East Asians like to visit because the Seven Sisters (pictured) refer to the seven daughters of the Chinese deity, the Jade Emperor. If people do things which put them in extreme and obvious danger, there is a limit to which they can be stopped.’
Coroner Alan Craze added: ‘This is a very poignant and sad case. I want to express my profound sympathy and condolences to her family.’
‘Very sadly, whatever is done by way of signage, we should be lucky if this is the last one.’
He said he would encourage the National Trust, who own the stretch of cliffs, to look into improved warnings and fencing along the edge.
The cliffs at Birling Gap have experienced possibly the worst coastal erosion in the UK.
In 2005 it was noted they had retreated nearly 300 feet from where they had stood in 1873.
An Asian tourists is pictured trying to get a selfie on the extreme edge of the cliffs in East Sussex where Hyewon Kim died
The young woman seems intent on getting the perfect shot despite the repeated warnings issued by experts in wake of the 23-year-old’s death
The steps leading to the beach below the cliffs (pictured) were closed recently due to an increase in rockfall
Over the years several cottages have disappeared as the cliffs have gradually been eroded.
Earlier this month the steps leading down to the beach below the iconic chalk cliffs were closed due to a recent increase in cliff falls.
It was hoped the step leading down to the beach at Birling Gap, near Beachy Head – which were completed just four years ago – would provide access for the visitors for decades to come.
But a mixture of storms and high seas has seen the chalk face cliffs disappear beneath the waves.
A male tourist is seen looking out to sea before trying to get a picture of the iconic view, which is sought after by many Chinese tourists