Final message before the ship went down

“Someone will probably have to die before they stop work on these treaturous conditions,” a message sent to a friend sent on an assignment off the rough seas off the coast of Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province.

One hour later, the vessel on which he was performing repairs in a coastal area sank.

This message was made public 34 days after the day of the accident in which the late 32-year-old Chang Ki-ho sent the message via Kakao Talk on Dec. 14 at 6:10 p.m.,saying that there are not orders to head back even though conditions are so severe.

“I suppose the company needs to get this job done as quickly as possible,” he said in the message.

The vessel that he was on belonged to a company called Wonyoung which was working under license from Halla Engineering and Construction.

His friend wrote back, “Don’t talk about such nonsense. Be careful and think about your children.”

Sukjong #36 went down with 24 sailors, 12 of whom were fortunately rescued. Among those who were taken was a 19-year-old high school student on a field trip. <The Korea Times>