Sewol ferry, Who Can Penalize S. Korea’s Deplorable Handling of the Ferry Capsizal?
Sewol ferry, Who Can Penalize S. Korea’s Deplorable Handling of the Ferry Capsizal?
  • By Park wan-gyu (wangyu@koreaittimes.com)
  • 승인 2014.04.18 05:02
  • 댓글 0
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Photo : Korea Coast Guard


Photo : Korea Coast Guard
Photo : Korea Coast Guard

I wish that South Korea could wake up to good news every morning. But I got deeply choked up by the catastrophic capsizing of the Sewol ferry, which erupted off Jindo on Wednesday.

There always exist accidents in society, but we are living in this cutting-edge, tech-heavy 21stcentury. South Korea has been trumpeting itself as one of the developed nations, but I don’t know what’s wrong with this self-claimed, developed nation’s underdeveloped rescue operation system.

It is certain that the Sewol ferry disaster is not an accident, but a man-made calamity. This is not the first time. South Korea had also launched lamentable rescue operations during the 2010 Cheonan sinking, consequently bringing the death toll to horrible levels. As of 2014, the nation, which has been there and done that through many other tragedies including the Cheonan sinking, still remain defenseless and desensitized to the importance of disaster management. What on earth has the Korean government been doing so far Who the hell are you

This ferry tragedy, which could be the nation’s worst maritime accident, has been orchestrated by the government’s callous disregard for human life and Korean politicians’ dereliction of duty. They all should be charged as an accessory to murder.

Korean media outlets are no better than the government. Strictly speaking, their news reports are nothing but trash. They should have pulled out all the stops to suggest better ways of mounting rescue and search operations and swiftly present possible, effective countermeasures. But, their incoherent, noisy news reports sent this nation deeper into the pandemonium.

With false casualty estimates circulating all over the media, the South Korean President is paying nothing but lip service and the disaster response headquarters and relevant officials have been helplessly gawking at the capsized Sewol ferry. All the news programs are doing exactly same. Showing the footage of the capsized ferry, television anchors are parroting the same questions: What caused the capsizing Who is responsible for this As a journalist, I feel enormously ashamed.

I beg you. Please rescue the ferry passengers no matter what it takes. Simply imagining how the high school students locked up in the capsized ferry are holding up fighting against the unbearable fear of imminent death in the dark tears my heart apart.The crying of the families of ferry passengers, either killed or still unaccounted for, echoes in my ear.

What’s wrong with this nation How pathetic this nation is. This nation astonishingly does not have post-crisis regrets. All we can do is bite nails at our wit’s end I am speechless at this pathetic situation this nation is in now.

This nation is no stranger to terrible accidents, numerous causalities and tragedies. Who should I lodge a complaint with against this nation’s pathological inability to learn a lesson from past experiences and to bolster its disaster management capability

I am disgusted with this society and shuddering with the fear that I could be someday one of the victims of the nation’s poor handing of crises.

I hate myself who can do nothing but pray for the safe return of all the ferry passengers missing.


Don’t let others know you are in pain outside the ferry.

Don’t say “never” inside the ferry.

 

There are things that must be done,

But there are things that you cannot do.
Sons and daughters!


As long as you can breathe,

Do not give up until the last inhalation.

Do not let go of your life.

Please!!


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