S Korean leader vows to punish ferry disaster culprits

MsPresident apology not accepted. Live in shame and pay up for not doing your job protecting your people.

It's questionable if this will be enough for some of the families.

Hey, accidents happen. It was not intentional. Its a very costly accident and family and friends are in pain but it was not intentional.

When we find perfect humans and an absolutely safe world they we can blame and shame.

The captain was wrong. How many times do other captains make such decisions with no incident?

Last I checked life is full of dangers.

Hey, accidents happen. It was not intentional.

The operators had been told the vessel has stability problems.

The vessel was overloaded well beyond its legal limit.

Children who could have been rescued if they had been on deck were told to stay below until it was impossible for them to move.

That isn't an accident.

You suggest it was premeditated murder cleo?

Yes, a serious of very bad decisions. Not murder though.

Where did I say it was 'murder'? I said it wasn't an accident.

An accident is an event that happens by chance or without apparent or deliberate cause.

The repeated brushing aside of the stability problem was apparent before the vessel set sail.

The overloading beyond the legal limit was done deliberately.

Ordering the kids to stay below was done deliberately, repeatedly and at the very same time that the captain and crew were saving their own irresponsible necks.

I repeat, it was no accident.

This captain would have had a reckless record yet he continued his operation. This time his recklessness caused deaths.

With your definition of "accident", they are extremely rare.

He likely brushed it off prior to this incident.

Overloading was likely standard procedure.

Ordering below, stupid! With the intent to save themselves is an premeditated plan suggesting murder.

It was not intentional!

I am not sure what the president could have done. Its not like she was elected for her disaster management expertise. There are government agencies whose job that is which are supposed to contain the experts.

That is a lot of manslaughter charges to go around. And there a lot of people for them to go around to. Not only the captain and crew, but also the company that bought the ship from Japan and immediately set about making alterations to increase passenger capacity resulting in a heavier ship even unloaded and probably shifting the center of gravity in the process.

Ossan: "It's questionable if this will be enough for some of the families."

Agreed. But then, I imagine, nothing at all will make up for the loss of a child, especially under circumstances such as these.

I think you call this 'negligent homicide' and 'reckless indifference', not an accident.

With your definition of "accident", they are extremely rare.

T'Isn't 'my' definition, I took it verbatim from the dictionary. But yes, 100% accidental accidents are relatively rare where the human factor is involved.

Overloading was likely standard procedure.

It's still intentional overloading in the face of clear rules put there for a reason.

Rather than just persecuting a limited group of people who caused this particular accident, the Korean government should get its house in order and make sure that exiting regulations are followed and safety warnings are responded to, which clearly was not the case here. The more we learn about this incident, the more it becomes clear that there were multiple systemic failures at many levels. It all sounds a lot like 3rd world. The ferry should not have even be allowed to sail at all with its stability problem, and certainly not in the overloaded condition with unstable cargo it was in. Lots of work to do with the Korean government to become a modern society.

Totally agree, WilliB. Regulations exist for a purpose, and a society which habitually flaunts them deserves the consequences. I'm not blaming the survivors of the victims, of course, but rather than attacking Park, Koreans should look in the mirror and reflect.

WilliB: "The more we learn about this incident, the more it becomes clear that there were multiple systemic failures at many levels. It all sounds a lot like 3rd world."

Indeed, a lot like Japan in that regard with Fukushima and companies being allowed to lie and not live up to the standards required for the safety of the people entrusted to them. It's not "the Korean government", it's human nature that puts profit above safety that needs to change, but it clearly never will. The Korean government DOES bear some responsibility for not being stricter in enforcing such standards, but show me a nation that doesn't until it's after the fact.

Laguna: "I'm not blaming the survivors of the victims"

Actually, you are, by attacking the society as a whole, and not looking in the mirror yourself.

Why do some people have to drag in Japan for anything and everything even though it has not to do with the matter at hand?

Korea's problems are Korea's so keep it there.

whys is the president still in power? resign. When The US NAVY and Japan offered help, the Korean govt refused. Now hundreds of people died because of what? PRIDE?

live in shame

SamuraiBlue: "Why do some people have to drag in Japan for anything and everything even though it has not to do with the matter at hand?"

I brought in Japan as a direct example of government failing and it not being limited to the Korean government, as some people seem to be complaining about. Let's look at mikihouse's comment, for example:

"When The US NAVY and Japan offered help, the Korean govt refused. Now hundreds of people died because of what? PRIDE?"

Same as the Japanese government did with US help when the Fukushima incident occurred.

There, you see? It's THAT easy for the pot to call the kettle black. You never saw these posters complaining about 'pride' or what have you when the government here refused US help. I think Park SHOULD resign, and I believe she was going to do so at one point (not sure why she never went through with it), but again the idea that this is something characteristic of Korea as a whole is ludicrous when it happens all over the place.

Families and relatives need time to mourn, fast moving events connected to the government investigations prevents the bereaved any emotional relief from the impact of serious allegations surrounding the disaster.

Anyone responsible for the accident and criminally at fault will be sternly punished, Park said during a meeting with relatives camped on Jindo, the nearest island to the wreck where search operations are centered.

Personal opinion, the Captain sounds to be at fault, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

When politicians careers and legacies are in trouble justice goes out the window. Instead of waiting for justice to take it's course President Park is doing exactly what a dictator would do.

Firstly the ship was modified, loaded and operated illegally, something that all hard evidence had pointed to, and most would agree gross negligence resulting in needless loss of so many precious lives.

Next, fingers pointing. First culprit, the ship's owner, for clearly placing profit above safety.

Secondly, the Captain, and possibly his crew, for not doing the checking on the proper operations of the ship, both in normal and emergency operations.

Thirdly, the rescue operations by the governmental bodies. Delays upon delays and no swift action and allowing precious hours to be lost in saving as many lives as possible.

In addition, understand the Koreans' present mindset and culture will call for anyone not to bother trying to even suggest that they have to reflect on anything. Criticism should only come within their own kind, and not from any outsiders and especially NOT from Japanese. No one even want to hear anything in comparison as that's too hurtful to accept, that Koreans are more inferior to Japanese, or anyone else in this world.

It's really a circus watching how pride, profits and politics should have any place when it comes to safety affecting lives. This unfortunate event blows out of proportion the full ugly human behaviours of all sorts, from the fake love messages from victims, the fake diver who aimed for quick fame, the fake politician who thought he could pretend to be family member of victims to garner some votes for future election, even the ship's company weight and balance department of altering the loading documents in attempt to cheat the authority.

The ultimate losers? The normal folks on the street, my heart goes to the victims and family, whether or not they care or appreciate.

WilliB says it so well.

How many of you have been on an overcrowded bus, train, boat before? Rules not followed and no repercussions ...UNTIL!

How many saw questionable repairs, maintenance on public passageways? Not a serious issue UNTIL!

The captain and crew did what they did not just this one time. Yet they continued! Is he totally to blame and burn at the stake?

MarkGMay. 06, 2014 - 01:24AM JST The captain and crew did what they did not just this one time. Yet they continued! Is he totally to blame and burn at >the stake?

It is internationally accepted maritime protocol that the Master ("Captain") is responsible for anything that happens on his ship. This is regardless of whether he was on the bridge at the time, or if the vessel was under the helm of an officer or crew, or even a harbor pilot. So yes, from an occupational point of view he most certainly deserves to burned at the strake. But investigation has shown that there is culpability on the part of the Owners, starting from the modification to the superstructure which now required increased ballast to maintain stability which was ignored for the sake of increasing cargo. The Master has apparently testified that he had complained to the Owners who ignored his warnings.

What is it with Park and her need to preempt the outcome of any official investigation and legal enquiry? By leading the lynch mob baying for blood and vengeance she is subverting and tainting the judicial process by pressuring investigators to arrive at her unproven and emotive conclusions, but also casting as yet unproven aspersions and character assassination upon the ferry crew (which again taints the investigation).

While this type of emotive hyperventilating would be understandable for a Seoul house-wife, it's unbecoming for the nations president to act this way: She should be backing the investigators and the judicial process to arrive at questions of culpability based upon facts, rather than attempting them to force them to arrive at a conclusion that supports her emotive ignorance.

OssanAmerica May. 06, 2014 - 01:36AM JST But investigation has shown that there is culpability on the part of the Owners, starting from the modification to the superstructure which now required increased ballast to maintain stability which was ignored for the sake of increasing cargo. The Master has apparently testified that he had complained to the Owners who ignored his warnings.

Where is the Korean goverment's responsibility on this? If the Korean goverment approved this construction legally, it might be a partial fault of the goverment for approving this modification. First, you have to determine whether a permit and plans were submitted to the Korean goverment for the modifications that was updertaken and inspection were made by the goverement staff during the progress of the modification. For safety reasons, I believe permits and plans are required to ensure that your repairs, additions, or alterations are done according to the codes and regulations. If it was not, the ship owner is in additional criminal liabiltity. Separate permits should have been required for mechanical, plumbing, or electrical work and must be performed by licensed professional. Maybe in Korea, they don't care about the safety.