On April 16^th, a tragedy occurred in Korea, leaving 188 people dead and 144 missing. The Korean ferry Sewol, full of high school students, sunk. The crew got the message and told the students to stay in their rooms to avoid panic and disorganization. This mistake brought forth a search mission that recovered bodies and returned them to their families. Many students broke their fingers trying to claw their way out of impending death. According to CNN news, Sewol sunk because of excessive veering, improper stowage of cargo, modifications made to the ship, and tide influence. The cargo was not tied properly so loosely tied ends helped the ship turn over, senior prosecutor Yang Joong-jin said.

“The lashing devices that should have held cargo goods steady were loose, and some of the crew members did not even know how to use them correctly,” Yang said.

The decision to hold students in their rooms determined life and death for 332 helpless people. The crew members were arrested for negligence and of failing to help the passengers. A total of 174 people survived including twenty-two of the twenty-nine crew members. The relatives of the victims claimed that the government didn’t do enough to protect or rescue the loved ones. The prime minister of Korea resigned over the handling of this disaster, blaming “deep-rooted evils” in society. According to CNN news, he apologized “on behalf of the government for the many problems that arose during the first response and the subsequent rescue operation,” in addition to “problems that existed before the accident.”

“During the search process, the government took inadequate measures and disappointed the public,” Chung said. “I should take responsibility for everything as the prime minister, but the government can assume no more. So I will resign as prime minister.”

Before the sinking, one student called in an emergency and reported that they thought the boat was going down. The parents of the young man were very proud but unfortunately the child did not survive the rough waters. There was also a report from a diver that two students tied their jacket strings together to not drift apart, but during rescue they had to be separated because they could not float together.

“I started to cry thinking that they didn’t want to leave each other,” said one of the rescue divers.

This event was a tragedy throughout Korea. Korean entertainment preformed a national gesture of detachment as a motion of respect for the suffering families and the sudden loss; the entire K-pop entertainment industry shut down. Their reaction was a little world of the collective consciences of South Korea. There is also going to be a memorial service held by Lee Ae-ri, according to NBC News.

“This was the only thing I could do for the students. I can’t stay inside because I feel like tearing up,” said Lee Ae-ri.

The survivors have been united with their families, the dead have been respectfully recognized, and the missing are accounted for. Victims will not be forgotten and the country is there to support the unfortunate families. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and improve the ferry rides in the future.