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The civic group 4/16 Sewol Families for Truth and a Safer Society holds a press conference in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on April 12. (Kang Jae-hoon

Family members of victims from the Sewol ferry sinking in April 2014 joined civic groups in demanding a reinvestigation of the tragedy and punishments for 17 individuals implicated in the disaster, which marks its fifth anniversary this week. Among the individuals singled out were ex-president Park Geun-hye for her failure to order the ship’s evacuation, and former Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, also the current Liberty Korea Party leader, for allegedly concealing facts in connection with the accident.

The action was based on the conclusion that key government figures responsible for the tragedy could end up not facing investigation or punishments as the statute of limitations runs out. To date, Captain Kim Gyeong-il of the Coast Guard vessel 123 remains the only government official punished in connection with the sinking.

On Apr. 15, the group April 16 Solidarity planned to hold an announcement in front of the “Space of Memory” at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square for an initial list of 17 officials to be punished in connection with the Sewol tragedy. The individuals in question are seen as responsible for the deaths of 304 passengers, who were prevented from exiting the vessel and instructed to remain in place during a 100-minute window when a rescue could have been attempted.

In addition to former ex-president Park Geun-hye, the list also named four former Blue House officials including former Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and former National Security Office Chief Kim Jang-soo; seven Coast Guard officials including former Korea Coast Guard Chief Kim Seok-kyun, former West Sea Coast Guard Chief Kim Su-hyeon, and former Mokpo Coast Guard Branch Chief Kim Moon-hong; two Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials including former Minister Kim Young-suk; and responsible officials at the National Intelligence Service.

LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, who served as justice minister at the time of the tragedy, was included alongside employees of the Defense Security Command (now the Defense Security Support Command) for allegedly using pressuring investigation officials with the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office to conceal facts related to the case.

“In 2014, the prosecutors summoned around 300 people for questioning, but in the past five years Captain Kim Gyeong-il of Coast Guard vessel 123 remains the only person who has been punished,” said April 16 Solidarity Secretary General Bae Seo-young.

“Does it make any sense that a Coast Guard captain is the only person responsible for missing the ‘golden time’ for announcing an evacuation of the Sewol, even though there was a rescue helicopter on the scene with high-performance speakers?” Bae asked.

“The only way to stop this from happening again in the future is if the government officials pay the due price before the statute of limitations runs out,” he insisted. According to current law, the statute of limitations is five years for dereliction of duty and seven years for abuse of power.

April 16 Solidarity plans to join family members of the victims in calling on the government to establish an exclusive special investigation team for the Sewol tragedy for the event’s fifth anniversary and announce an additional list of government officials determined to be responsible. It also plans to pursue a citizen campaign to “eradicate deep-rooted vices” in connection with the sinking, including the establishment of a citizen accusation team to lodge complaints directly against the individuals in question.

“The Sewol sinking is being increasingly forgotten, but the tragedy is still taking place,” said Kim Gwang-bae, secretary general of the civic group 4/16 Sewol Families for Truth and a Safer Society.

“The Special Commission on Social Disaster Investigation announced allegations last month that the digital video recorder (DVR) for CCTV storage, which provides conclusive evidence on the cause of the Sewol’s sinking, was doctored,” Kim noted.

“The commemoration ceremony for the fifth anniversary of the Sewol tragedy needs to be an occasion for announcing a new start in the investigation.”

By Hong Yong-duk, South Gyeonggi correspondent

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