"Captain, 3 crewmen charged with murder in S. Korea ferry sinking; Convictions may result in death for the accused" by Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times May 16, 2014
SEOUL — Prosecutors brought murder charges Thursday against the captain and three other crew members of a ferry that capsized off South Korea’s southwest coast last month, leaving 304 people dead or missing....
The ferry lost its balance while making a sharper-than-usual turn in waters notorious for rapid currents.
Was it, or were they just scapegoating at first??
At the time, the least experienced of the ferry’s four mates was in charge of its navigation while the captain was in his room.
Prosecutors have arrested five officials at the ferry’s operator, Chonghaejin Marine Co., on charges of overloading the ship and neglecting safety measures.
They have also tried, in vain, to question the family of Yoo Byung-eun, a church leader and retired businessman. Yoo’s two sons control Chonghaejin through a holding company. Prosecutors have tried to determine whether the family illegally used the ferry operator and other businesses to accumulate a fortune, but family members have ignored their summons.
You know, I recognize that kind of ju$tice $y$tem.
Hundreds of worshipers of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea, where Yoo remains an influential founding member, rallied Thursday, calling prosecutors’ case a “witch hunt.”
They built a blockade in front of a church retreat in Anseong south of Seoul, where Yoo is believed to be holing up.
Not good, but that kind of crisis will divert attention from other things.
In a statement read to the news media, Cho Kye-ung, a church spokesman, said the government of President Park Geun-hye was plotting to turn Yoo’s family and his church into scapegoats to cover up its blunders in rescue operations.
Whether true or not, it does seem to be a characteristic of government (think 9/11).
In recent days, scholars and critics of Park’s government in and outside South Korea have issued statements blaming her and her government for the disaster and its high death toll.
Is there ever a government that ever took responsibility for anything?
I spent a few minutes thinking about it, and I couldn't think of a single example. Maybe you can do better.
--more--"
Related: Parking These Korean Protests
Parking this post.
