112 Cultural Post #4

[David Lee]

Last week marked the 5 year anniversary of the Sewol Ferry incident. On April 16, 2014, the Sewol Ferry departed the city of Incheon towards Jeju Island. The ferry was carrying over 400 people, whom most of them were high school students on a school trip. Due to ship malfunctions and sharp turns, the ferry began to list off the coast of Byeongpungdo and a distress signal was sent. Out of the 476 people on board, only 172 were saved. The sinking of the Sewol Ferry resulted in widespread social and political reaction from the South Korean people. The captain of the ship ordered passengers to stay put in their rooms while he and the crew members abandoned the vessel. With many resources available at the hands of the coast guard and military, their lack of organization and negligence of authorities was widely considered to be responsible for the death of over 300 passengers. This incident also shed light to President Park's corruption and negligence, ultimately leading to her impeachment on March 10, 2017.