South Korean President Park Geun-hye spoke out Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the Sewol ferry, making a vow to raise Sewol ferry after the disastrous accident a year ago that took the lives of 304 people, mostly high school children, when it sunk soon after its travel had started. Even as the president was speaking and offering condolences to grieving relatives, many of them refused her advances and were protesting the way the government had handled the accident when it happened, and responses since.
Protesting Relatives Upset With Government Actions
The protestors had also kept the prime minister from going to a previous anniversary event earliest, as well as canceling another one due to their opinion that the government didn’t care about their troubles even with the offer to raise Sewol ferry and recover any bodies still inside the ship. South Koreans are reportedly frustrated that safety measures haven’t improved much since the ferry disaster and feel that the sinking of the Sewol ferry right after it began its travel from the port is partly the fault of corruption in the government and their stupidity.
Salvage Process to Raise Sewol Ferry Has No Start Date
In her speech, Park announced her plans to raise Sewol ferry, but gave few details on the proposed project. According to the AP, the estimated price to raise Sewol ferry could be up to $137 million dollars, as well as take up to 18 months to accomplish.
The angry relatives of victims said Park should have given more details on her plan to recover the sunken ferry, according to a lawyer, Pil Kyu, who is representing the affected families. The resolution urging the retrieval of the sunken ferry was adopted by the 165 South Korean lawmakers in the National Assembly by a vote of 161 being in favor to raise Sewol ferry, two being against the idea and two who abstained from the vote.
Ferry Victims Remembered
In honor of the loss of life when the Sewol ferry sank shortly after beginning its travel from port. South Korean flags on public buildings were lowered to half-staff, as well as an observation of a minute of silence in Ansan, which is the town were almost the entire high school class was killed on the ferry, where they had been for a field trip to a nearby resort island. Yellow ribbons were also tied to handrails at the port in honor of those who died. In honor of the loss of life when the Sewol ferry sank shortly after beginning its travel from port. South Korean flags on public buildings were lowered to half-staff, as well as an observation of a minute of silence in Ansan, which is the town were almost the entire high school class was killed on the ferry, where they had been for a field trip to a nearby resort island. Yellow ribbons were also tied to handrails at the port in honor of those who died.
Authorities said that the cause of the capsizing of the Sewol ferry was due to overloaded cargo, inappropriate storage, too slow rescue efforts, ship owner corruption for not having the proper safety gear, and the crew’s actions for 15 of them abandoning the ship when the passengers were still trapped. Ultimately, the ferry captain, chief engineer, and 13 crewmembers were jailed, as well as the ferry operator head. Authorities said that the cause of the capsizing of the Sewol ferry was due to overloaded cargo, inappropriate storage, too slow rescue efforts, ship owner corruption for not having the proper safety gear, and the crew’s actions for 15 of them abandoning the ship when the passengers were still trapped. Ultimately, the ferry captain, chief engineer, and 13 crewmembers were jailed, as well as the ferry operator head.
A ferry terminal in Bangladesh showcases the magnificent hustle-and-bustle of boat terminals in Asia:
https://youtu.be/w91hT-9WVlQ
