The South Korean ferry disaster happened on April 16, 2014. I remember hearing about this even in high school, but I didn't understand the severity of the event until now. The ship was going from Incheon to Jeju island. The event killed more than 300 people, and most of them were high school students going on a field trip. It is the country's worst accident in decades. The event signified corruption from President Park for not sending help for seven hours after hearing about the drowning ship. The ship operators and regulators were criticized for finding loopholes in safety inspections before the ship went out. The captain and the crew repeatedly assured the passengers to "stay put. It will be okay." while they saved themselves. The captain and crew were sentenced to prison for murder through willful negligence. The Korean coastgaurd only saved the people who made it out on top of the ship, ignoring people who were trapped in the windows below. This event was a sign of major corruption in authority and is known as a tragedy among the Korean people. Government actions to retrieve the ferry began a year later and many families remain outraged by the disaster.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/world/asia/south-korean-ferry-accident.html?module=inline
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/world/asia/south-korea-ferry-sewol.html
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