The sinking of the Sewol occurred on the morning of April 16th, 2014, during its trip from Incheon to Jeju. The ferry capsized while carrying 476 people, mostly high school students from Danwon High School. As a result, 304 passengers died in the disaster. Of the approximately 172 survivors, many were rescued by fishing boats and other commercials vessels that arrived at the scene approximately 30 minutes before any South Korean coast guard or ROK Navy ships. Ongoing recovery efforts by the South Korean government, the US Navy, civilian groups and individuals ceased Nov. 11th.
The sinking of the Sewol has resulted in widespread social and political reaction within South Korea. Many criticize the actions of the captain and most of the crew of the ferry. More criticize the ferry operator and the regulators who oversaw its operations. Additional criticism has been directed at the South Korean government and media for its disaster response and attempts to downplay government culpability. On May 15th, 2014, the captain and 3 crew members were charged with murder, while the other 11 members of the crew were indicted for abandoning the ship. An arrest warrant was also issued for Yoo Byung-Eun, the owner of the Cheonghaejin Marine, which operated the Sewol, but he could not be found despite a nationwide manhunt. On July 22nd, 2014, police revealed that they had established that a dead man found in a field 415 kilometres south of Seoul was Yoo. Foul play was ruled out, but police say they have yet to establish the cause of Yoo's death.
The Korea Herald, one of the most influential Korean newspapers, later quoted a shipping expert expressing the opinion that Sewol should have been discarded, given that the average lifespan of a ship was 15 years at that time. At the time of the accident, the Sewol was 18 years old. Furthermore, investigators later noted that the modifications had been made illegally.
After the modification, Sewol had a legal capacity of 956 people including the crew, 180 vehicles, and 154 regular cargo containers. She weighted a total of 6,825 tons, and had 46 rubber lifeboats, each with a capacity of 45 people. She could travel at a maximum of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). From October 2012 to February 2013, she was subject to a 5-month testing period by the Korean Register of Shipping, after which the Register approved the modifications made. However, the Register decreased the cargo capacity by half to 987 tons and required 2,000 tons of water to serve as ballast in order to provide balance. The South Korea government's Audit and Inspection Board later revealed that the Register's licensing was based on falsified documents. Prosecutors later estimated that 1,077 tons of cargo were permissible and that 1,695 tons of ballast was necessary to carry 1,077 tons of cargo.
On the 15th of April, the Sewol was scheduled to leave the port at Incheon on 6:30 p.m. Instead, she was delayed for two and a half hours due to a thick fog, and was the only ship to leave port on that evening, around 9 p.m. When she departed, Sewol was carrying 476 passengers, which was about half of her legal capacity of 921. 325 of the passengers were students on a field trip from Danwon High School and five passengers did not have a Korean nationality. After the incident, the company reported that she was carrying 124 cars, 56 trucks, and 1157 tons of cargo. The improperly secured cargo was loaded to twice the legal limit.
The sinking of the Sewol has resulted in widespread social and political reaction within South Korea. Many criticize the actions of the captain and most of the crew of the ferry. More criticize the ferry operator and the regulators who oversaw its operations. Additional criticism has been directed at the South Korean government and media for its disaster response and attempts to downplay government culpability. On May 15th, 2014, the captain and 3 crew members were charged with murder, while the other 11 members of the crew were indicted for abandoning the ship. An arrest warrant was also issued for Yoo Byung-Eun, the owner of the Cheonghaejin Marine, which operated the Sewol, but he could not be found despite a nationwide manhunt. On July 22nd, 2014, police revealed that they had established that a dead man found in a field 415 kilometres south of Seoul was Yoo. Foul play was ruled out, but police say they have yet to establish the cause of Yoo's death.
The Korea Herald, one of the most influential Korean newspapers, later quoted a shipping expert expressing the opinion that Sewol should have been discarded, given that the average lifespan of a ship was 15 years at that time. At the time of the accident, the Sewol was 18 years old. Furthermore, investigators later noted that the modifications had been made illegally.
After the modification, Sewol had a legal capacity of 956 people including the crew, 180 vehicles, and 154 regular cargo containers. She weighted a total of 6,825 tons, and had 46 rubber lifeboats, each with a capacity of 45 people. She could travel at a maximum of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). From October 2012 to February 2013, she was subject to a 5-month testing period by the Korean Register of Shipping, after which the Register approved the modifications made. However, the Register decreased the cargo capacity by half to 987 tons and required 2,000 tons of water to serve as ballast in order to provide balance. The South Korea government's Audit and Inspection Board later revealed that the Register's licensing was based on falsified documents. Prosecutors later estimated that 1,077 tons of cargo were permissible and that 1,695 tons of ballast was necessary to carry 1,077 tons of cargo.
On the 15th of April, the Sewol was scheduled to leave the port at Incheon on 6:30 p.m. Instead, she was delayed for two and a half hours due to a thick fog, and was the only ship to leave port on that evening, around 9 p.m. When she departed, Sewol was carrying 476 passengers, which was about half of her legal capacity of 921. 325 of the passengers were students on a field trip from Danwon High School and five passengers did not have a Korean nationality. After the incident, the company reported that she was carrying 124 cars, 56 trucks, and 1157 tons of cargo. The improperly secured cargo was loaded to twice the legal limit.