Tourists and anglers are required to pay more attention to their safety when they go to beaches and islands across the country. It is a pity that nine people, including two children, were killed on Jukdo in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, Sunday when they were swept away by a high wave hitting the breakwater.
There is little doubt that the tragedy was a natural disaster, which was hardly predictable. Witnesses said a wave as high as 10 meters smashed into the breakwater on the islet, sweeping away tourists on the structure and nearby rocks. The disaster occurred all of a sudden at 12:41 p.m.
People were all the more saddened by the news because the tragic scene took place during ``Family Month,'' which includes May 5 Children's Day and May 8 Parents' Day. What's more disturbing is that there were no proper safety structures, including guardrails, on the breakwater. The sudden tidal wave was not the victims' fault.
But anyone can say that they could have survived the wave if there had been guardrails. Local authorities should have set up safety-related infrastructure to prevent such an unpredictable disaster. It is highly regrettable that officials usually take belated measures after precious lives have been lost.
The public criticized the authorities for locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. What's more disappointing is that officials try to make a display of doing something after tragedies have taken place. In short, they will soon go back to their bureaucratic ways teemed with negligence and lack of discipline.
It cannot be understood why the municipal government ignored residents' demands for a higher breakwater or some structures to prevent potential damage from high waves. A female street vendor saved her life by holding tightly on to a steel pipe on her stall. This means that mere guardrails, if set up, could have protected the ill-fated people from being engulfed by the wave.
The Jukdo disaster came only three months after two tourists were killed by a high wave on a breakwater along the east coast in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. In October 2006, a similar tidal wave hit a breakwater in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, claiming two lives. Provincial authorities should no longer delay the establishment of safety structures to prevent recurrences.
It is also imperative to put a proper warning system in place. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) is under criticism for its inability to predict tidal waves. Different types of abnormal and sudden meteorological phenomena are reported throughout the country due to global warming and other climate changes. We call on the KMA and the disaster prevention authorities to do their best to protect the people and their property.