President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday publicly apologized for failing to prevent the tragic ferry disaster that left at least 264 people, mostly high school students, dead and 38 still missing.“As a president, who has a duty to protect the nation, I’m truly heavy-hearted and feel sorry to the bereaved families,” Park said at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul during a Buddhist ceremony that paid tribute to victims of the accident.The president’s speech followed an earlier apology she made during a Cabinet mee

Social Affairs May 6, 2014

South Koreans’ frustration with narcissistic attention seekers has hit a fresh high after a flurry of frauds and lies that added confusion to the recent ferry disaster.A woman who identified herself as a diver and made false claims about the ferry rescue operation on TV was arrested last month on charges of defamation and fraud. But long before her arrest, she was recognized by many online who claimed that she had been involved in numerous fraud cases ― posing as an entertainment news reporter,

Social Affairs May 1, 2014

Classes for Danwon High School freshmen and sophomores who did not sign up for the ill-fated field trip to Jejudo Island resumed Monday, as funerals for the ferry victims were held in the same town. The chilly, rainy weather reflected the general somber mood, as the students walked past flowers and messages outside the gates. Some students were seen standing still as funeral cars carrying the victims of the Sewol disaster passed by. Reporters’ access to school staff members, students and parents

Social Affairs April 28, 2014

South Korean divers searching for missing passengers in the sunken ferry Sewol are suffering from health problems, according to a rescue center. Ten divers from a joint rescue team of civilian and state organizations were treated in decompression chambers on two Navy ships Wednesday, after showing symptoms of paralysis and severe headaches. One has been confirmed as having decompression sickness, the emergency center said Thursday. “Divers are suffering from more fatigue as the rescue operation

Social Affairs April 24, 2014

It has been a long, silent week in South Korea since the fateful morning of April 16.Much of what happened inside the sunken ferry remains unknown, leaving the victims’ relatives, and South Koreans in general, struggling with despair and sadness.The word “regret” weighs heavily on the entire nation. Many Koreans feel horrified by the helplessness of those on board at the time of the sinking, the utter lack of rescue plans and the actions of the crew members. Worse, the government appears to have

Social Affairs April 23, 2014

South Korean authorities widened their investigation into the cause of the ferry disaster on Monday by arresting four crew members and banning others involved from leaving the country. Prosecutors on Monday barred the family that owns Chonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the ill-fated ferry Sewol, from leaving Korea.The Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office took the measure as part of an expanding probe to identify whether the ship’s renovation and the crew members’ lack of safety education pl

Social Affairs April 21, 2014

Hong Ga-hye doing interview on KBS a few years ago then again on MBN in 2014A Korean woman who made a false claim in a television interview about the delayed rescue operation of the capsized ferry Sewol turned herself in late Sunday, police said.The South Jeolla Provincial Police Agency on Saturday issued a warrant to detain the 26-year-old woman, surnamed Hong, who claimed that the Coast Guard told civilian divers to “kill time” and that some divers had confirmed survivors inside the sunken shi

Social Affairs April 21, 2014

Divers combed the sunken ferry Sewol, retrieving more than a dozen bodies over the weekend.More than 560 divers took turns Sunday entering the ship and searching passenger compartments while 204 Navy, Coast Guard and private vessels. But hopes were fading for any survivors among the hundreds still missing.

Social Affairs April 20, 2014