Nine days into the Sewol ferry tragedy, public distrust in the Park Geun-hye government has hit the ceiling. The public have been appalled, not disappointed, by the S. Korean government’s handling of this catastrophe, from the miscommunication-caused delays in the initial responses to the sinking ferry to sluggish search and rescue operations in the area of the sunken ferry.
There has been no shortage of belated remorse in the nation. The Sewol ferry disaster could have been avoided if the nation’s disaster prevention and response system had kicked in properly and urgently. To make matters worse, the delay in the initial response left hundreds of passengers trapped in the sinking ferry; slow-paced search and rescue operations have been angering and exhausting all the people waiting for the missing passengers. We are scratching our heads trying to figure out whom we should point an accusing finger at first. The S. Korean government’s handling of the Sewol Ferry disaster can be described in one word: ‘uncivilized.’ How can Koreans live from now trusting this untrustworthy nation with their safety
After the Sewol ferry sank, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration (MOSPA) of S. Korea, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Korea Coast Guard acted on their own, setting up nearly 10 Sewol ferry disaster response headquarters. They frequently retracted their announcements on progress in search and rescue operations, consequently prompting the Prime Minister to make a public apology. When the Sewol ferry listed to one side, the Vessel Traffic Service Center (VTS) was completely unaware of the abnormalities in the Sewol ferry, resultantly wasting ‘golden time,’ the first few minutes of a disaster. Consequently, the nation’s shabby disaster responses system has taken the Sewol ferry disaster’s death toll to appalling levels.
The post-sinking search and rescue operations have been disorderly as well. Some disenchanted families of the missing passengers even marched towards the Blue House, shouting ‘We cannot trust the government.’ In conclusion, the government’s disaster response system has successfully revealed its deep-rooted problems across the board; at the center of the problems were Korean bureaucrats. Whenever huge safety accidents took so many lives in the past, the government was busy dangling anti-disaster countermeasures before the public, saying that such mistakes would never be repeated. With hindsight, the government has never put its money where its mouth is. The Korean government has been the epitome of irresponsibility and has maintained a peace-at-any-price principle to stay clear of trouble.
If the government’s supervision of passenger ferry safety had been carried out to a tee, the death toll of the Sewol ferry disaster would not reach such deplorable levels now. The main culprit is the government’s collusion with vessel safety inspectors and testers. Parachuting retired bureaucrats, especially those who used to work at MOSPA, into high-paying positions at vessel safety inspectors and testers has been normal practice for long in the nation. Since former bureaucrats take the helm of vessel safety inspectors and testers, the system of checks and balance has gone AWOL.
Eleven of the 14 public institutions and organizations under MOSPA have been headed off by former MOSPA officials. Ten out of the 12 chairmen of the Korea Shipping Association (KSA), which holds a right to supervise passenger ferry safety, and eight out of the 11 heads of the Korean Register of Shipping (KR), the contractor that has actually carried out ferry safety inspections, were from MOSPA. Of course, such a practice is not unique to MOSPA. This is true of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of S. Korea. The senior positions at Korea Fire Safety Association (KFSA) have been filled by retired NEMA officials.
Retired MOSPA officials have served as either chairmen or vice chairmen of ten MOSPA-affiliated private certifiers, which have been granted certification rights by MOSPA. The nation’s financial, construction, pharmaceutical and food sectors are no exception to this practice. The practice of retired bureaucrats being automatically parachuted into high-paying positions at government-affiliated organizations has cut across all sectors. These fat cats are insatiable. The so-called “parachute” appointments have made it easier to lobby the government and worked as a shield against government checks. While the government turns a blind eye on their former bosses’ sleazy business practices, the endemic “parachute appointment” problem has festered to a point where Koreans have to navigate their way through a minefield.
“Under this administration, I will make sure that public officials, who only care about keeping their positions and thus detract from the reputation of sincerely devoted public servants, are removed from their posts," said S. Korean President Park Geun-hye. She must walk the talk. The nation’s bureaucratic society has to urgently undergo major surgery. Golden parachutes for retired bureaucrats, i.e. high-paying positions at government-affiliated organizations, as well as those for Korean politicians, should be eradicated.
There are public servants, who have been risking their lives at the site of the sunken ferry. They are still swimming though dark, cold waters into the sunken Sewol ferry in search of the missing passengers and truly sympathize with the families of the missing passengers. The devoted public servants, who silently do their job without hoping for being recognized by others should be applauded.
S. Korea must overhaul its disaster prevention and response system and operate on its malpractice-ridden bureaucratic circles. Bearing in mind that all the Koreans plead with the government to learn a painful lesson from the Sewol Ferry disaster, the Park Geun-hye government must make sure that its words are followed by action.
