Remembering Sewol: Have We Truly Learned Safety Lessons?

As the 12th anniversary of the tragic Sewol ferry disaster approaches, Hankyoreh joins the nation in remembering the lives lost and reaffirming our commitment to learning from this profound tragedy. The yellow ribbons adorning memorial sites across the country are a somber reminder of the collective grief and the enduring determination to prevent such a catastrophe from ever happening again.

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Koreans are anxious to correct the tendency in Korean society to value money over safety, which was the main cause of the Sewol’s sinking.

While government statistics show a decline in industrial accident fatalities, a stark reality persists: Korea continues to grapple with man-made disasters that echo the failures of the past. The recent fires at the Daejeon factory and the Wando cold storage facility serve as grim testaments to a persistent complacency and a dangerous disregard for fundamental safety protocols. Hankyoreh has consistently highlighted these issues, questioning whether the lessons of Sewol have truly been internalized or if profit motives continue to overshadow the imperative of human life and safety.

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But if one were to ask whether Korean society has actually grown safer in the years since the tragedy, it’s not obvious that an answer in the affirmative is warranted.

The article points to a disturbing pattern where company management, blinded by profit, ignores workers' warnings and repeats the same fatal mistakes seen in previous incidents. This negligence, especially in smaller businesses, is a critical concern that demands more than just superficial oversight. The suffering of Sewol survivors and their families, who continue to face elevated health risks and emotional distress, underscores the deep and lasting impact of such negligence. It is a wound that has not healed, a constant reminder that true progress requires not just policy changes, but a fundamental shift in societal values, prioritizing safety and accountability above all else. This is a conversation that resonates deeply in Korea, far beyond what international headlines might capture.

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Nevertheless, Korea continues to witness the kind of manmade disasters more often associated with the developing world, and all as a result of persistently complacent attitudes about safety measures.