• Culture can’t explain it all

    CNN, Time react typically to Sewol tragedy Last Friday, two days after the Sewol sank, a CNN reporter made an on-air remark that felt all too familiar. “What (Korean) culture prizes in its children, its students, is obedience,” she said. “So when they were told to stay put by an…

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  • Ferry owner’s home raided

    Prosecutors raided the home of Yoo Byung-eun, owner of Chonghaejin Marine, and the offices of a dozen affiliates of the ferry firm, Wednesday. The raid was part of an escalating investigation into the Yoo family after the Chonghaejin ferry Sewol sank off the country’s southwestern coast, leaving 157 dead and…

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  • N. Korea offers condolences over S. Korean ferry victims

    North Korea has expressed its condolences over the sinking of a South Korean ferry in a telephone message through its Red Cross Society, the unification ministry said Wednesday. The message under the name of Kang Su-rin, the chief of the Red Cross Society of North Korea, was sent to Yoo…

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  • Speculation about NK’s nuclear test growing

    Speculation is mounting about another North Korean nuclear test as heightened activity has been detected at the country’s underground nuclear test site. “Many activities are currently being seen at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site,” said Kim Min-seok, spokesman of Ministry of National Defense, Tuesday. “The North can launch a…

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  • Salvage work considered cautiously

    Some relatives of the missing and government officials were cautiously weighing the potential start of work to raise the sunken ferry Sewol as rescue operations entered a seventh day to no avail, Tuesday. While the families demand prioritizing rescue operations over salvaging the ship, there are also growing concerns that…

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  • Inspectors, operators thrive on dirty ties

    Investigations into the sunken ferry Sewol are revealing the extent of cronyism among ship owners and safety inspectors. Allegations of this culture in play is behind a lax safety check of the Sewol ferry which went to sea on the evening of April 15 without important safety standards in place,…

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  • More questions arise for cause

    Questions about the cause of the ferry Sewol’s sinking have been raised because its location tracking records show that the vessel did not make a sharp turn before beginning to list. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has so far suspected that the vessel lost stability and sank because the…

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  • `Koreans should adhere more to rules to avoid second Sewol’

    Expatriates offered some tough advice for Koreans following the sinking of the ferry Sewol. “I’m saddened by the loss of life from the ferry accident. I believe it stemmed largely from the weakness of safety rules, standards, safety training and the like,” said Joel Levin, an American living in Seoul.…

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  • Ferry captain may be charged with homicide

    The prosecution said Tuesday it is considering filing negligent homicide charges against Captain Lee Joon-seok and two other crewmembers of the sunken ferry Sewol. The captain, a third mate and helmsman were arrested last week, accused of negligence of duty and violation of the Maritime Law. They were among the…

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  • Sunken ship’s captain avoids murder charges

    The captain of the sunken ferry Sewol will unlikely face prosecution for a murder charge, Financial News said Sunday, citing judicial experts. The report quoted prosecutors and lawyers as saying the captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, who ditched the sinking ferry leaving behind passengers, will certainly receive heavy doses of penalty.…

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