hankyoreh

Gyeonggi Province

The shock inflicted by the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry has left a bruise on the hearts not only of family members of the victims but of all Koreans. In the diagnosis of psychiatrist Jeong Hye-shin, South Korean society as a whole has suffered a shock that is equivalent to psychological death. Jeong also said that, if the Korean people are unable to cope with the national trauma caused by the sinking, it could leave a scar similar to that caused by the Korean War.

This is the time for the entire Korean public to share their sadness, to comfort each other, and to do what they can to relieve the pain. At this moment, there is no difference between the victims’ families and the guests who have come to pay their respects. The government needs to do everything it can to help the public to share their grief and mourn the victims.

But the things that we are hearing now beggar belief. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration tried to delay the setting up of memorial altars for the Sewol victims and to reduce the size of the altars. Even though Prime Minister Chung Hong-won ordered memorial altars to be set up around the country on Apr. 23, the Ministry did not instruct the various municipal governments to build the altars until the night of Apr. 26.

Not only was the ministry extremely slow in its response, but it also stated in the orders that municipal governments (including cities, counties, and districts) were to be excluded from the list of areas in which altars would be erected. Furthermore, the Ministry instructed that the 17 altars for municipalities should only be built inside city and provincial offices. It also instructed metropolitan governments to cover the required cost from their own budgets.

These instructions are the exact opposite of the guidelines the central government made for creating memorials for the victims of the Cheonan warship when it sank four years ago. On that occasion, the central government had memorial altars set up in any location where people were likely to go and provided the funding. Ninety-one joint memorial altars were set up, along with 340 regular memorial altars. In the case of Gyeonggi Province, altars were even erected at plazas in front of Suwon Station, Pyeongtaek Station, Uijeongbu Station, and Pocheon City Hall.

The central government’s inconsistent stance on the altars could be due to its fear about growing signs that the public’s mourning will prompt demands that the government be held responsible for the disaster. The very fact that such suggestions are being made drives another spike into the heart of the public. This inevitably leads to the criticism that the central government, which did such a poor job with its rescue and response efforts after the Sewol sank, only cares about minimizing the ramifications of the disaster. The government should be aware that if it tries to block the parade of mourners, it will be subjected to even harsher criticism.

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