Friday, April 18, 2014

Sewol's Sinking: Feel like hanging the captain



Link to article.

I should have read this only in the morning because I had great difficulty getting to sleep after reading how the captain and some crew members had tried to save themselves ahead of the Sewol's passengers.

And this really made me hit the roof. He was callously drying wet paper money on his bed even as he expressed his "deep sorrow". At this point I feel like hanging him. But these days you must be careful with the news. In a hurry journalists and especially editors make so many mistakes. Some media types are even worse than this captain. They slant, even twist the news for more readership. Very irresponsible but people are so short term these days.

Then I saw another report (it was nearing midnight already). Park Ji Young a young heroine, only 22 years old sacrificed herself for her charges. The captain should have died instead. He should be the last one to leave the vessel!

I hope Park Ji Young's family receive generous help for the loss of their daughter. She came from a very poor family and she gave up going to university to help make ends meet. But I am just sick in the gut how often the senior people are the cowards and the heroes are those reporting to them.


Update: 7:50 am

I shouldn't have missed this. Good grief the coward left the Sewol pretty early. I can think of a few countries the coast guard will demand the captain stay with his vessel and not rescue him. What were the coast guard thinking? Shame on the Korean way. A culture which the boss could do no wrong and his pride is the most important thing and synonymous with the organization reputation, that someone else should take the blame if he errs? That's the emperor is always right culture. That's why enough captains of Korean vessels sans the Navy I hope, would not try their best to protect their passengers. If found guilty of criminal negligence, I think he ought to be shamed and hanged as an example for all skippers.



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