President Park Geun-hye has vowed to hold those involved in the ferry sinking strictly
responsible...
pointing an accusing finger at the crew's irrational and irresponsible actions when
the Sewol-ho got into trouble.
For more, we now go to Laah Hyun-kyung at the news center.
Hyun-kyung.
The word she used was 'murderous', when referring to the Sewol-ho ferry's captain and crew abandoning
the ship before the passengers.
President Park also said... she felt a deep distrust of the government... and anger from
the affected family members... because of the way government officials handled the case
in the beginning.
"Under this administration, I will make sure that public officials, who only care about
keeping their jobs are removed from their posts.
The actions taken by the captain and some of
the crew members are unacceptable, and their behavior is akin to murder."
Those remarks were made at a meeting of senior secretaries at the Presidential Office of
Cheong Wa Dae this Monday morning.
The president ordered the joint investigation team, composed of the police and the prosecution,
to thoroughly clarify any suspicions the public might have regarding this tragic accident.
Speaking of suspicions, it's not just the family members who want to know why and how
the crew members escaped from the ferry when they KNEW some of the passengers were trapped
inside the cabins?
Currently, two separate investigations are on-going to solve some of the mysteries surrounding
the case.
One is being conducted jointly by prosecutors and police officers, the other is handled
solely by the prosecution -- a special probe launched under Prosecutor General Kim Jin-tae's
direct order on Sunday.
The joint investigation team earlier in the day received arrest warrants for four additional
crew members.
This comes after three crew members including the captain were arrested over the weekend.
We are getting reports that the 20-year-old Sewol-ho ferry underwent months of renovation
to extend its sailing-life for more than 7 years.
Some 20 people related to the renovation have been summoned for questioning as well.
The ferry operator, Cheong Haejin Marine company, is also under investigation.
The prosecutorial special investigative team has also imposed travel bans on the operator's
president, Kim Han-sik, as well as Yoo Byung-eon , the former chairmen of the operator's parent
firm, and his two sons who are the biggest shareholders of the company.
In the meantime, we are also just getting reports that one of the engineers of the ferry
that went through questioning sessions by investigators attempted to hang himself.
His colleagues found him just before he could go through with it.
The person has been transferred to near-by hospital... and is reportedly in stable condition.
The government declared Ansan in Gyeonggi-do province, near the capital Seoul, and Jindo-gun
county in Jeollanam-do province as special disaster zones.
The measure was passed on Sunday.
Yes.
It was around 6:40 p.m., Korea time, when those two areas officially became special
disaster zones.
Jindo-gun county is where the nearest harbor closest to the sunken ferry is.
And Ansan is where Danwon High School is -- the high school where most of the students on
the ferry were from.
The two areas will quickly receive state funds for the search-and-rescue operation.
Also, local taxes including acquisition tax will be waived.
Other general taxes will either be reduced, or the payment deadline will be postponed
for up to nine months.
And of course financial assistance will be given to the families of the victims,... as
well as to those that are still waiting for their loved ones to return.