Sinking of MV Sewol

Sinking of MV Sewol
MV Sewol capsized and sinking, as taken by the Korea Coast Guard on April 16, 2014
Native name 세월호 침몰 사고 (Korean)
DateApril 16, 2014; 10 years ago (April 16, 2014)
TimeAround 8:30 a.m. to around 10:30 a.m. (KST)
Location1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) off Donggeochado,[1] South Jeolla, South Korea
Coordinates34°13′5″N 125°57′0″E / 34.21806°N 125.95000°E / 34.21806; 125.95000
CauseUndetermined (see Causes)
Deaths
  • 304 passengers and crew[2]
  • 2 rescue divers[3]
  • 5 emergency workers[4]
Missing5[2]
Property damageCargo: ₩200 billion ($180 million)[5]
Inquest3 separate investigations[6]
SuspectsCaptain and 13 crew members[7]
ChargesHomicide (4 including the captain)[8]
Fleeing and abandoning ship (2)[9]
Negligence (9)[9]
VerdictGuilty
Convictionslife imprisonment (captain)
10 years (chief engineer)
18 months−12 years (13 other crew members)[10]
On board
Survivors172[13]

On the morning of April 16, 2014, the ferry MV Sewol sank whilst en route from Incheon towards Jeju City in South Korea.[14] The 6,825-ton vessel sent a distress signal from about 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi; 1.5 nmi) north of Byeongpungdo at 08:58 KST (23:58 UTC, April 15, 2014).[15] Out of 476 passengers and crew, 304 died in the disaster, including around 250 students from Danwon High School in Ansan.[16][17][18] Of the 172 survivors, more than half were rescued by fishing boats and other commercial vessels that arrived at the scene approximately 40 minutes before the Korea Coast Guard (KCG).[19]

The sinking of Sewol resulted in widespread social and political reaction within South Korea. Many people criticized the actions of the ferry's captain and most of the crew.[20] Also criticized were the ferry's operator, Chonghaejin Marine, and the regulators who oversaw its operations,[21] along with the administration of President Park Geun-hye for her response to the disaster and attempts to downplay government culpability,[22] and the Korean Coast Guard for its poor handling of the disaster, and the perceived passivity of the rescue-boat crew on scene.[23] Outrage has also been expressed against the initial false reporting of the disaster by the government and South Korean media, who claimed everyone aboard had been rescued,[24][25] and against the government for prioritizing public image over the lives of its citizens in refusing help from other countries, and publicly downplaying the severity of the disaster.[26][27]

On May 15, 2014, the captain and three crew members were charged with murder, while the other eleven members of the crew were indicted for abandoning the ship.[28] As part of a government campaign to manage public sentiment over the official response to the sinking, an arrest warrant was issued for Yoo Byung-eun (described as the owner of Chonghaejin Marine), but he could not be found despite a nationwide manhunt. On July 22, 2014, police revealed that they had established that a dead man found in a field in Suncheon, roughly 290 kilometres (180 mi) south of Seoul, was Yoo.[16]

  1. ^ 동거차도에서 본 이 시각 구조 현장 [Current Rescue Scene as seen from Donggeochado] (in Korean). YTN. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Two Sewol ferry victims laid to rest". Yonhap News. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  3. ^ "South Korea ferry search diver dies". Agence France-Presse. The Guardian. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Sewol ferry search helicopter crash kills 5 in South Korea". CNN. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Why Seizing Ferry Owner's Assets Is Vital". The Chosun Ilbo. The Chosun Ilbo. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. ^ Jeong, Hunny (12 August 2014). "Three-pronged effort to investigate Sewol". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Sewol trial: South Korea coast guard was 'ill-equipped'". BBC. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Captain Who Fled South Korea Ferry Faces Murder Charge". NBC News. Reuters. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Crew of Doomed Sewol Ferry Goes on Trial in South Korea". NBC News. Reuters. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. ^ Kim, Jack (28 April 2015). "S.Korea court finds ferry captain guilty of homicide for 304 deaths". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  11. ^ Kim, Jung-eun (28 July 2014). "Student survivors of Sewol ferry disaster testify at South Korea murder trial". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  12. ^ Kim, Se-jeong (17 February 2016). "Parents clash over Danwon classrooms". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  13. ^ "(3rd LD) All-out efforts to search sunken ferry continue amid weak currents". Yonhap. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Sewol". Equasis (free registration required). French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  15. ^ Kim, Sam (21 April 2014). "Two Hours Turn Class Trip into Shipwreck Horror for South Korea". Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Tycoon wanted in fatal South Korean boat capsize found dead". South Korea News.Net. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  17. ^ Park, Madison; Hancocks, Paula (16 April 2015). "Sewol ferry disaster: One year on, grieving families demand answers". CNN. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  18. ^ Kim, Jack; Yoo, Choonsik (16 April 2014). "More than 300 people missing after South Korea ferry sinks – coastguard". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Fishermen Rescued Half the Survivors of Ferry Disaster". The Chosun Ilbo. The Chosun Ilbo. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  20. ^ "Duty and Shame as the Ship Sank". The New York Times. 22 April 2014.
  21. ^ Mullen, Jethro; Kim, Stella (8 May 2014). "South Korea cracking down on operator in Sewol ferry disaster; CEO arrested". CNN.
  22. ^ Choe, Sang-Hun (9 May 2014). "South Korea's Leader and Media Face Scrutiny Over Ferry Disaster". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Jin, Jongsoon; Song, Geoboo (15 June 2017). "Bureaucratic Accountability and Disaster Response: Why Did the Korea Coast Guard Fail in Its Rescue Mission During the Sewol Ferry Accident?". Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy. 8 (3): 220–243. doi:10.1002/rhc3.12115. PMC 7169149. PMID 32328217.
  24. ^ Shin, Mitch (16 April 2021). "7 Years After Sewol Ferry Disaster, Bereaved Families Still Urge Government to Reveal the Truth". The Diplomat. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  25. ^ Nam, In-soo (16 May 2014). "Media Outlets Apologize Over Sewol Ferry Disaster Coverage". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  26. ^ "Officials vague on rumor Japanese support was refused for S Korean ferry". JapanToday. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Film points finger at South Korean government for Sewol disaster". BBC. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Four crew members of sunken South Korea ship charged with murder". Asia Bulletin. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.