Gwangju Democratic Party Pledges Full Effort to Uncover Truth of April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster

"Comprehensive Management Failure Led to Tragedy...
Efforts to Prevent Recurrence"

The Gwangju City Chapter of the Democratic Party of Korea stated on the 15th, "We commemorate the victims of the April 16 Sewol Ferry disaster and will do everything in our power to uncover the truth behind the tragedy."

In a statement released that day, the Gwangju City Chapter of the Democratic Party said, "The Sewol Ferry disaster was not a simple accident, but a man-made disaster in which 304 people lost their lives. This has been officially confirmed by the recent ruling of the Maritime Safety Tribunal," and emphasized, "The tribunal determined that the main causes of the sinking were poor safety management, reckless steering, navigational errors, and overall mismanagement of the vessel."

They continued, "Although the Democratic Party has made continuous efforts to uncover the truth and prevent recurrence since the disaster, investigative activities have not proceeded smoothly due to obstruction from government agencies and certain groups," adding, "Those responsible have not been properly held accountable, and there has been no broad public consensus on institutional reforms."

They further stated, "The nation failed to protect the lives and safety of its people, resulting in the tragic and senseless loss of precious lives. We deeply feel the weight of this responsibility and will do everything possible to uncover the truth so that such a tragedy never happens again," and added, "Time at Paengmokhang is still frozen on that day. The Democratic Party will make every effort to build a safe society where the right to life of the people is respected."

Meanwhile, the Gwangju City Chapter of the Democratic Party said, "Although 11 years have passed since the Sewol Ferry disaster, the horror and grief of that day remain as deep scars in our hearts," and added, "We pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in the Sewol Ferry disaster and offer our condolences to the bereaved families who still carry an unerasable pain."