Note: I wrote this post right after the incident in April 2014.
My mind has been restless for the past few days as I cannot stop thinking about the tragic incident of the Sewol ferry disaster. The ferry was carrying 476 passengers from Inchon to Jeju Island in Korea, out of which more than 370 were high school students on a school trip. Unfortunately, the ferry sank, and only about 170 passengers managed to be rescued while over 181 bodies have been found so far. There are still 121 passengers missing, most of whom are young high school students in their teens. Despite the ongoing rescue efforts, their survival remains uncertain. As I was grieving this tragedy, I came across various news reports detailing the extent of the disaster.
1. In 2012, a ferry was brought over from a Japanese shipping company. It had been in operation for 18 years and was close to retirement in Japan. Before 2012, the official retirement age for a ferry boat in Korea was 20 years old. However, this age limit was changed under the Lee Myung-bak government, allowing for a 30-year-old ferry boat to continue operating. This decision was made as a result of Lee's promotion of new capitalism with deregulation policies during his presidency. Unfortunately, due to this law change, the current ferry was imported in 2012 as a used vessel, which had already been in operation for 18 years. This decision is frustrating and unfortunate, as it was a result of the senseless government and Sewol's choice to import such an aging ferry for Korean passengers.
2. It is reported that the ferry boat has been imported and rebuilt to increase its passenger capacity and space. However, it is important to ensure that the rebuilding is carried out by the safety codes. Additionally, a thorough investigation of the ferry's technical issues is necessary. The government's official inspection agency should also be investigated to ensure safety standards are met.
3. On the day the ferry sunk, there were two inexperienced crew members in charge - one controlling the ferry and the other navigating. Both had less than a year's experience. The captain, Lee Joonsuk, who was 69 years old, had left them in charge for a while. It is unclear how many containers and cars were on board or whether they were properly secured. Reports suggest that many containers fell when the ferry suddenly tilted to the left and began to sink. It should be noted that Lee was a replacement for the regular captain who was on vacation. Unfortunately, the situation only got worse.
4. A terrible incident occurred when a ferry began to tilt and sink for 90 minutes. If the captain, Lee, had made the right decision to evacuate all passengers immediately upon sensing that something was wrong with the ferry (due to a loud roaring sound), most passengers could have been saved. However, crew members repeatedly told passengers to stay calm and stay inside the ferry, leading to a waste of critical time. Most students stayed inside, trusting in vain. It is unclear why the captain did not ask all passengers to immediately wear life-saving jackets and prepare life-saving boats for evacuation. According to one report, only two life-saving boats were working. It is also unknown whether there were enough life jackets for all passengers. Captain Lee and other crew members abandoned the ferry and passengers in danger of their lives, leaving their posts to be among the first group of people rescued by the rescue team. Even after being rescued, Lee tried to hide his identity and acted like a passenger. This incident is deeply distressing.
5. However, there is one young lady named Ms. Park Ji-Young in her early twenties, who was a crew member for passengers. She helped young students escape from the sinking ship, but unfortunately, she was unable to rescue herself. Her story brings tears to my eyes.
6. It seems that the high school where the students came from is partly responsible for the unfortunate incident that took place. The school authorities should have conducted a thorough assessment of the safety of the ferry trip. Unfortunately, the ferry had set sail several hours behind schedule due to adverse weather conditions. Moreover, it is with great sadness that I learned about the Vice Principal's tragic death by hanging himself on a pine tree. The Vice Principal was a chaperone of the trip and had been rescued from the accident. However, he was unable to cope with the pressure and guilt of the incident.
7. The overall emergency response and rescue efforts made by the government have been disappointing. There are lots of concerns, inefficiencies, and complaints about this rescue operation. I understand that it's not easy to handle situations during emergencies. However, we should learn from past tragedies and try to implement those learnings in the present. The current government's leadership is being questioned due to this. There were enough lessons learned from past experiences, but are we implementing them today? My heart goes out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy. They are constantly in my thoughts and prayers.
8. Conclusion
It is tragic to note that this accident could have been prevented, or many lives could have been saved. The accident was caused by human error, which is morally unacceptable. There was a system failure that involved various parties, including the government (both former and current) and its overseeing agencies, who did not perform their duties appropriately. The ferry company was also at fault for importing an old ferry and renovating it carelessly, adding more space while neglecting proper management. The crew members were unprepared in case of an emergency, which made the situation even worse.
*Last-minute text messages sent by students trapped in the sinking ferry:
(Photo courtesy of Newsis)