ed Corruption, yet again

Every time a catastrophe occurs in Korea, there are suspicions that some form of corruption is at the center of it. As the police and other authorities embark on a comprehensive investigation and uncover gross irregularities involving businesses and civil servants, it appears that the recent ferry disaster is no exception.

On Wednesday, prosecutors in Incheon raided businesses affiliated with the operator of the capsized vessel, Sewol, as part of a widening probe into the disaster which has left more than 300 people missing or dead. The raids are intended to expose irregularities implicating Yoo Byeong-eon, the de facto owner of Cheonghaejin Marine, the operator of the doomed ferry, and his two sons over allegations that the family may have flown its assets abroad and evaded taxes. They are also suspected of having remodeled the ill-fated vessel to load more cargo onto it by lobbying government officials.

Prosecutors in Busan are also probing possible corruption during safety checkups by shipping-related agencies under the control of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Separately, the joint team of prosecutors and police in Mokpo are investigating the Sewol tragedy, with the objective of specifically shedding light on how Cheonghaejin Marine obtained a safety approval certificate from the Korean Register of Shipping (KRS), which is tasked with administering safety checkups on behalf of the government, in February.

We cannot help but heave a sigh of grief over the pitiable state of all things related to safety.

First of all, it simply defies understanding why the government allowed an 18-year-old liner to be imported from Japan at a time when voices were calling for the need to strengthen safety regulations. Also, there is speculation that the KRS may have turned a blind eye to safety woes by allowing the operator to add more cabin rooms on the ship’s upper deck.

It turns out that the Korea Shipping Association (KSA), an interest group that represents shipping companies and owners, didn’t check the doomed ship on the spot even though it was loaded with freight double the permissible level. More fundamentally, it’s nonsensical that the KSA, an interest group, was in charge of supervising the operation of coastal liners.

All this shows that priority was given to corporate convenience instead of principles and safety. And that this was enabled by those benefitting from revolving door appointments. As it turns out, retired officials from the oceans ministry have dominated the top posts at the two shipping-related agencies for decades and protected them from strong government inspections.

Now it’s time for law enforcement agencies to crack down on deep-rooted wrongdoing in the marine industry after national soul-searching over whether the Sewol disaster could have been prevented. The tragedy should serve as a catalyst for addressing our structural problems in safety across the board. If not, more tragedies will follow.