Pres. Park frozen out by Sewol families on anniversary

Posted on : 2015-04-17 15:31 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Families locked up altar in Jindo so Park couldn‘t pay respects before she left the country for Colombia
 Apr. 16. (by Lee Jeong-a
Apr. 16. (by Lee Jeong-a

President Park Geun-hye said she would visit Paengmok Port in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, on Apr. 16, the first anniversary of the sinking of the Sewol, so that she could pay her respects to the victims of the accident and to launch the raising of the ferry’s hull. But Park was unable to meet the families of the victims at the harbor.

When the families heard that Park would be visiting, they temporarily shut down the memorial altar at the site and left the area in protest of Park‘s behavior since the sinking and government treatment of the Special Sewol Committee.

 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

Park could do little more than view the photos of the nine missing passengers in front of the entrance to the closed memorial altar and to visit the temporary accommodations of the families of the missing. Consequently, the visit to Paengmok Port that had been scheduled to last for forty minutes ended after twenty minutes.

Standing in the middle of the seawall at Paengmok Port on Thursday, Park read a prepared statement to the South Korean public in which she promised to raise the Sewol ferry.

President Park Geun-hye tours Jindo Port in South Jeolla Province on the anniversary of the Sewol sinking
President Park Geun-hye tours Jindo Port in South Jeolla Province on the anniversary of the Sewol sinking

“There are still nine missing people in the waters where the ferry sank, and the government will take every possible measure to bring the missing back to the arms of their families,” Park said. “I think that we need to make serious preparations to salvage the hull. We will take the necessary measures so that we can move forward with salvaging the hull as quickly as possible.”

Park did not make any comments about abolishing the enforcement decree of the special Sewol Law, something that the families of the Sewol victims have been demanding.

 Apr. 16. Park was not able to pay respects at the memorial altar or meet victims’ families
Apr. 16. Park was not able to pay respects at the memorial altar or meet victims’ families

Next, and right before Park was supposed to leave the country, she delayed her departure time to hold an unscheduled meeting with Saenuri Party (NFP) leader Kim Moo-sung at around 3:30 pm. However, she put off making a decision about Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo’s behavior and only asked Kim for his cooperation in the affairs of state.

Park‘s private meeting with Kim Moo-sung on the day of her departure for Latin America is part of her belated response to the scandal that has been brewing because of a list left behind by Sung Wan-jong, former Kaengnam Enterprises who committed suicide recently.

 delaying her departure time to hold this unscheduled meeting. Apr. 16. (privided Blue House)
delaying her departure time to hold this unscheduled meeting. Apr. 16. (privided Blue House)
During the meeting, Kim discussed with Park what members of the Saenuri Party think about Lee’s behavior. Kim said that Park told him she would decide what to do after returning from overseas. This implies that Kim argued that Lee needs to step down or be removed from office but that Park delayed her decision until after her trip.

As a result of the sudden meeting, Park left the country at 5:30 pm, three hours and 30 minutes behind schedule, and her welcome ceremony in Colombia, the first country she is visiting, was canceled.

Ironically, the fact that Park delayed her departure to have a private meeting with the head of the ruling party implies that there was no urgent reason for Park to leave the country on the first anniversary of the Sewol tragedy.

 who vacated Jindo before her arrival and locked the altar to protest Park’s behavior in the year since the sinking. (by Lee Jeong-yong
who vacated Jindo before her arrival and locked the altar to protest Park’s behavior in the year since the sinking. (by Lee Jeong-yong

In the same way, there is scant evidence that the Blue House and the government put much effort into preparing the memorial schedule for President Park. The Blue House had said on multiple occasions that “President Park is considering various kinds of memorial activities with the hope of finding the most sincere way of comforting the victims‘ families before the first anniversary of the Sewol tragedy.”

But in the end, Park was unable to meet the families of the victims and the missing, nor did she make any particular effort to win over the bereaved families before the anniversary of the accident.

The Blue House waffled on how Park would pay her respects on the first anniversary of the Sewol, failing to settle on her final destination until the evening of the day before. The media are usually provided with Park’s schedule of events in advance on the condition that they not publish this information until have the events have taken place, but the schedule for Park’s visit to Paengmok Port was not announced until that very morning.

 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

The behavior of Park’s cabinet members was largely the same. Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo did not attend the “public safety pledge rally” as he had intended, instead making an unscheduled appearance at the government memorial altar in Ansan on Thursday morning. The protests of the victims’ families kept him from burning incense, however.

President Park Geun-hye reads a prepared statement to the South Korean public on the seawall at in Jindo
President Park Geun-hye reads a prepared statement to the South Korean public on the seawall at in Jindo

The Ministry of Public Safety and Security, which was established after the Sewol tragedy, brought together police officers, soldiers, firefighters, and public servants to COEX in Seoul’s Gangnam district, for a 25-minute “public safety pledge rally,” but the victims of the tragedy were not mentioned in the order of ceremony. Essentially, the cabinet ministers spent the first anniversary of the Sewol tragedy without participating in any official events to commemorate the tragedy.

 South Jeolla Province on the anniversary of the Sewol sinking
South Jeolla Province on the anniversary of the Sewol sinking
 Apr. 16.
Apr. 16.

President Park meets  Saenuri Party (NFP) leader Kim Moo-sung
President Park meets Saenuri Party (NFP) leader Kim Moo-sung

By Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent

 

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