[10 Years Since Sewol] "Why the Bereaved Families Endured All Insults... Hoping Such a Tragedy Never Happens Again"

③For Complete Truth Investigation
Interview with Park Raegun, Director of the 4·16 Foundation
Need for the Basic Life Safety Act and a Permanent Investigation Body

Park Raegun, Co-Executive Director of the Sewol Ferry Disaster 10th Anniversary Committee (Standing Director of the 4·16 Foundation), stated on the 17th, “The bereaved families have endured severe humiliation and have been targets of hatred,” adding, “They obviously know that the children who died will not come back. However, they have consistently been active with the belief that no one else should suffer the same fate.”

In an interview with Asia Economy on the ‘10th Anniversary of the Sewol Ferry Disaster,’ Park said, “The bereaved families have gone through difficult times every year. They especially suffered and were pained during the Itaewon and Osong underpass disasters,” and added, “They felt despair, questioning what they have accomplished so far. Still, they resolved not to give up and to unite in solidarity.”

Regarding some opinions that say “the Sewol Ferry Disaster is tiresome,” Park said, “Social disasters are, in some ways, equal. No one expects to be at the site when a disaster occurs. Everyone thinks it’s someone else’s problem, but it can become their own.” He continued, “The Sewol bereaved families also only felt sorrow during the Sampoong Department Store collapse, Daegu subway disaster, and Sealand disaster, but did nothing. They regret not raising their social voices together and standing by those victims at the time.”

Park Raegun, Co-Executive Director of the Sewol Ferry Disaster 10th Anniversary Committee. [Photo provided by 4·16 Foundation]

Meanwhile, Park raised his voice about the clear limitations of the Sewol Special Investigation Commission (Special Commission) and the Social Disaster Special Investigation Commission (Social Commission). He said, “It has already been 10 years, but the truth-finding and punishment of those responsible have not been perfectly achieved as the bereaved families and citizens hoped, which is disappointing,” and pointed out, “Out of 680,000 pieces of data collected by the National Intelligence Service related to the Sewol disaster, the Social Commission reviewed only about 2,000. Presidential records have been sealed, and access to investigation materials was restricted.”

He particularly criticized, “If the Park Geun-hye administration had given proper authority and allowed the Special Commission to operate, the investigation would have been completed long ago. But it was obstructed and forcibly terminated,” and added, “The Social Commission’s investigative personnel were halved, and since the committee was formed by recommendations from both ruling and opposition parties, it ended up representing political interests rather than expertise.”

He also pointed out the absence of accountability and a control tower in social disasters. Park said, “When large-scale human rights violations occur, legal, political, and moral accountability are necessary. But South Korea has become a country that does nothing,” and questioned, “All those responsible for the Sewol disaster have been pardoned and reinstated. The structure where no one takes responsibility for disasters like Itaewon and Osong underpass is becoming stronger. Now, the control tower is denied, and responsibility is pushed downward. How can disasters be prevented this way?”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ultimately, he emphasized the necessity of the Basic Life Safety Act and the establishment of a permanent investigation body for major disasters. The Basic Life Safety Act was first proposed in November 2020 by Woo Won-sik, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party and part of the National Assembly Life Safety Forum. The core of the act is to define life and safety as fundamental rights and to specify the rights of victims in the event of safety accidents.

Park explained, “The Disaster Safety Basic Act defines what government departments should do, but there are no rights for victims,” and said, “It was very difficult to create a special law, and even if an investigative body is established, it is swayed by politics. It is better to create a permanent body to properly identify causes and develop measures to prevent recurrence.”

Park added, “When the Sewol disaster occurred, lawmakers proposed similar laws one after another, but the National Assembly has been inactive,” and said, “It is expected to be difficult to pass the Basic Life Safety Act in the 21st National Assembly. Citizens need to raise their voices in the newly formed National Assembly to create a safe society. Please take an interest in how you and your family can live safely.”

Meanwhile, Park introduced the 10th anniversary events of the Sewol disaster, saying, “A 10th anniversary memorial ceremony was held at Ansan Hwarang Park, and events took place at the Seoul Sewol Memorial Space, Incheon civilian victim memorial hall, Daejeon National Cemetery, in front of the Sewol ferry hull in Mokpo, and the disaster site,” and added, “The exhibition of memorial items ‘Memory Garden (回憶庭園)’ will be held until the 5th of next month, and the photo exhibition ‘Memory is Powerful’ will run until the 31st.”