By
Rebecca Gibson |
South Korean prime minister Chung Hong Won has tendered his resignation following claims that the country’s government has inadequately handled the emergency response to the sinking of the Sewol passenger ferry on 16 April.
Sewol was reportedly carrying around 470 passengers when she capsized and sank near Jeju island on South Korea’s south-west coast. Around 179 passengers and crew were rescued, while divers have since recovered around 187 bodies. Reports estimate that more than 100 passengers are still missing, presumed dead.
Speaking at a televised briefing on 27 April, Prime Minister Chung said he believed it was ‘only right’ that he took responsibility for the way the government reacted to the incident, which is shaping up to be Korea’s worst maritime disaster since the Namyoung ferry sank in 1970 killing 323 people.
“I was planning to take responsibility and resign earlier, but I thought responding to the accident was the most urgent priority,” Chung said. “But now I feel am a burden so I have decided to resign.”
He added: “On behalf of the government, I apologise for many problems, from the lack of prevention of the accident, to the early handling of the disaster. There are too many irregularities and malpractices in parts of society that have been with us for too long, and I hope those are corrected so that accidents like this will not happen again.”
While it is still unclear what caused the incident, authorities are reportedly probing several lines of enquiry, including whether the ferry was destabilised by too sharp a turn, as well as whether she was carrying too much cargo. The weather and ocean conditions at the time of the incident are also under consideration as contributing factors.
Prosecutors are also investigating the conduct of the crew during the emergency with reports claiming that Captain Lee Joon-seok was absent from the bridge, while a third mate who had never navigated the waters near to Jeju island was at the helm when the ferry began listing. Questions have also been raised about why the crew left the vessel while passengers were still onboard and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives.
All 15 crew members involved in the navigation of the passenger ferry are now reportedly in custody facing criminal negligence charges. Under Korean law, homicide through occupational negligence carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, while homicide through abandonment carries a prison term of three years or more. Life sentences are also possible.
Police have also raided offices at the Korean Register (KR) and the Korean Shipping Association, as well as the offices and home of Yoo Byung-un, the head of Sewol’s owner Chonghaejin Marine.
They are said to be investigating whether modifications to add space for 117 extra passengers had inadvertently affected the balance of the vessel, making it more unstable. After these modifications were made some time between 2012 and 2013, the KR carried out stability checks and found that all changes were compliant with regulations. In addition, the KR an intermediary survey on Sewol in February showed that the ship was found to be ‘in accordance with regulations’.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that investigations would look at the possibility of corruption in testing ships and whether bribes were paid.