© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Murder,' South Korean Leader Says Of Ferry Captain's Actions

By Mark Memmott
Published April 21, 2014 at 7:50 AM EDT
A prayer for the missing and dead: Family members and friends have gathered in the port city of Jindo, South Korea, as the search continues for the scores of passengers still missing after last Wednesday's ferry disaster. At the water's edge, many are offering prayers — including this woman.
Issei Kato
/
Reuters/Landov
A prayer for the missing and dead: Family members and friends have gathered in the port city of Jindo, South Korea, as the search continues for the scores of passengers still missing after last Wednesday's ferry disaster. At the water's edge, many are offering prayers — including this woman.

"The conduct of the captain and some crew members is wholly unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense, and it was like an act of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated."

Yonhap News says that was the word Monday from South Korean President Park Geun-hye as she spoke with senior aides about last week's ferry disaster, which is feared to have killed about 300 people — most of them high school students who were on a trip to a popular resort island.

CNN has a slightly different version of the president's words, though they convey the same message:

According to Yonhap News, Park condemned Captain Lee Jun-seok for not moving more quickly to evacuate the 476 or so people who were on board and for being among the first who were able to get to safety:

As we reported Sunday, a transcript of the conversations between the ferry's crew and local maritime authorities shows there was considerable confusion last Wednesday when something caused the ship to start listing. Within two hours, it had capsized and begun sinking.

Among Monday's other developments:

-- "Sixty-four people have been confirmed dead while 238 others are still unaccounted," Yonhap News writes.

-- "Divers are retrieving the bodies at a faster pace," Reuters reports. Parents who have gathered in the port city of Jindo have "moved from [a] gymnasium to the pier to await news."

-- Seven members of the crew, including the captain, are now under arrest, according to The Washington Post and other news outlets.

-- On Morning Edition, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reported about how a family's grief was compounded by human error when they were told of one girl's death — only to be shown a body that wasn't hers.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
National News
Mark Memmott
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
See stories by Mark Memmott
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Environment
    Gray Catbirds – “Skulkers” and Hunters in Dense Vegetation
    Dr. Jerry Jackson
    Gray Catbirds are in a bird family known as the “Mimidae” – because they mimic other birds, other animals, and even mechanical sounds. Other members of their family in Florida include the Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird – two excellent mimics that we often see and hear year-round as they feed, sing, and nest in relatively open vegetation. They often mimic the vocalizations of other bird species and it has been suggested that their mimicry may send the message that the area is crowded – and cause other birds to search for food elsewhere.
  • Government & Politics
    Delays, cancellations up at Florida airports as FAA orders flight cuts and federal shutdown continues
    WGCU Staff
    There were 96 flight delays and nine cancellations Saturday and at least 134 flight delays and 15 flight cancellations as of early Sunday evening at Southwest Florida International Airport. The numbers come from the MiseryMap, a listing of delays and cancellations at U.S. airports by FlightAware, a flight tracking service.
  • FILE - SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)
    Government & Politics
    Trump administration demands states 'undo' full SNAP payouts as states warn 'catastrophic impact'
    The Associated Press
    President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, affecting 42 million Americans who rely on the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand follows warnings from over two dozen states about potential "catastrophic operational disruptions" if they aren't reimbursed for benefits authorized before the stay. Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general had sued to maintain the program, winning favorable rulings last week. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits for 700,000 residents but now faces financial strain.