By Juliana McLeod, editorial editor

On Monday, May 19, South Korean President Park Geun-hye told listeners she is disbanding the country’s coast guard in response to the April ferry sinking. In her public apology, the president reasoned that the coast guard’s failure to save the lives of those on board during the incident resulted in her decision to cut the branch.

Geun-hye explained that the roles the coast guard was once responsible for will shift to other government sectors.

“The investigation and information roles will be transferred to the police while the rescue and salvage operation and ocean security roles will be transferred to the department for national safety, which will be newly established,” she said.

Geun-hye’s decision comes after the ferry sinking on April 16 in which 286 people were killed on a trip to Jeju Island, most of which were students. Eighteen people are still unaccounted for since the sinking of the ferry, the Sewol.

In her televised speech, the South Korean president also blamed the country’s “corrupt culture” for the incident, The New York Times reported. After officials allowed the ferry to carry an excessive amount of cargo, the lives of everyone on the boat were put in danger. This supervision failure is possibly connected to the gradual laxness toward safety standards in the country.

However, these officials are not all to blame. Geun-hye also scolded the coast guard for first saving the captain and crew once the ferry began sinking. The passengers were left to fend for themselves until the second round of the rescue mission, which was too late for many.

Lastly, the president blamed herself for the catastrophe, saying that the responsibility lies on her, as it was her duty to look after the rescue of the students.

“As a President, I feel a sense of sorrow for not being able to protect them during their family trip,” she said, amid tears.

Since the event, other efforts have been made in response to the disaster. The captain of the Sewol and three crew members were charged with murder, CNN reported. The rest of the crew has been indicted for abandonment.

President Geun-hye also announced that April 16 is marked as National Safety Day in South Korea, in honor of the 286 people that lost their lives in the ferry sinking and the 18 that have yet to be found.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons.