Son Jung-hun escaped 12 years ago in search of a better life. Now, disillusioned with the South, he is planning to return Son Jung-hun first entertained thoughts of life outside North Korea in the 1980s, after chaperoning guests at an international youth event in Pyongyang. As a trade official working under Jang Song-thaek, the recently executed uncle of the Norths leader , Kim Jong-un , Son was part...
Public verdict against Sewol crew has been savage and quick but accounts of individual acts of heroism have also emerged As the ferry sank, some crew members gave their lifejackets to passengers. One refused to leave until she shepherded students off the ship, and was later found dead. Others worked from rescue boats to break windows with hammers and pull people trapped in cabins to safety. Nearly...
President Park Geun-hye says acts 'tantamount to murder' were committed in botched evacuation that left schoolchildren to die The death toll in the South Korean ferry disaster rose to more than 100 on Tuesday as the countrys president launched a scathing attack on the ship's crew, while the parents of hundreds of missing children conceded that the rescue operation had become a quest to simply recover...
US officials asked Asian countries not to seek to take commercial advantage of sanctions against Russia on eve of Obama Asia trip The White House has warned of the danger of worsening tension in Ukraine setting precedents for other territorial disputes around the world as it reacted for the first time to fresh clashes over the weekend with pro-Russian forces. Speaking on the eve of a trip to Japan...
Park Geun-hye condemns the actions of the captain and some crew members of the sunken vessel as tantamount to murder. Speaking at a cabinet briefing in Seoul, she said all those responsible would face charges, regardless of their rank. More bodies have been brought ashore as divers gain access to more of the sunken ship Continue reading... ...
Any tragedy involving children will provoke intense emotions, but it's too easy to simply label the Sewol's crew 'killers' Almost everything about the aftermath of the South Korean ferry disaster except, tragically, the initial response has seemed heightened, intense, on the very edge. And how could it not be? Of the 476 people on board, only 174 were rescued. Of the more than 300 remaining, most were...
Park Geun-hye says conduct was 'unfathomable' as four more officers are arrested and confirmed deaths rise to 64 South Korea's president has accused the captain of the ferry that sank last week of murdering more than 300 passengers, most of whom were teenagers on a school trip, as four more members of his crew were detained on Monday. Prosecutors said they would decide within 48 hours whether to request...
Japanese prime minister has sent a ritual offering to the controversial war shrine seen as glorifying past militarism Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, a move that may increase strains on Tokyo's ties with Asian neighbours China and South Korea. Adding to unease in the region, a Chinese maritime...
Messages between officers on vessel and traffic officials reveal miscommunication and hesitation at crucial phase Officers manning the stricken South Korean ferry that sank last week were hamstrung by indecision and communication problems at the critical moment when deciding whether to evacuate passengers, according to the full communications transcript released Sunday. The transcript, between the...
Confirmed death toll now at 52, as investigators unravel events on the bridge before the ship sank Divers have begun to recover bodies from inside the ferry that sank off South Korea, pushing the confirmed death toll past 50, officials said on Sunday. After more than three days of frustration and failure, divers finally found a way into the ferry, discovering more than a dozen bodies inside the ship....
Arrested captain of Sewol defends his delay in evacuating the ship as hundreds of divers continue search The South Korean ferry that sank off the country's coast on Wednesday, with the likely loss of more than 300 passengers, was being steered by an inexperienced young officer who was navigating the area, which is notorious for its fast currents, for the first time. Continue reading... ...
The captain of the ferry that sank off the coat of South Korea on Wednesday has been arrested along with two other crew members. Lee Joon-seok says he initially attempted an evacuation as the boat came into trouble but backtracked due to a lack of rescue boats. He, the helmsman and the third mate face a series of charges including negligence Continue reading... ...
Lee Joon-seok says he feared passengers would be swept away if they left ship that subsequently sank The arrested captain of the South Korean ferry that capsized with 476 people on board said on Saturday he had delayed evacuating the ship because of the sea conditions and the absence of rescue ships. Lee Joon-seok and two of his crew were taken into police custody in the early hours of the morning,...
The vice principal of the school attended by many students on board the sunken ferry is found dead. Police say 52-year-old Kang Min-Kyu killed himself close to the school where many of the ferry survivors are staying. Some 28 people have now been confirmed dead, with 247 still missing Continue reading... ...
Investigators examine claims that Lee Joon-seok, 69, abandoned ship as official toll rises to 29 with death of school deputy headmaster Prosecutors in South Korea have requested a warrant for the arrest of the captain of the South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday, leaving hundreds missing, feared dead. Warrants for the arrest of two other crew members have also been lodged with a court. The request...
A large crane has arrived at the site of the sunken South Korean ferry as the search continues for 270 missing passengers. Almost a week after the sinking, rescuers are cautious about using heavy machinery as lifting the vessel could harm any survivors trapped inside Continue reading... ...
Transcript released by the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries of the conversation between Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Center on Jeju Island and the Sewol, the ferry that sank on Wednesday. It starts from the first distress call made by the ferry Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of the Sewol? Continue reading... ...
Over 500 students and teachers from South Korean schools gather on Thursday to hold a vigil for the missing passengers of a ferry that capsized earlier in the week. Officials say 25 people have been confirmed dead with 268 still missing. Rescuers are battling strong waves and murky waters as they continue their search effort Continue reading... ...
Police say teacher was one of those rescued from sinking ferry thought to have claimed hundreds of lives South Korean police say a high school vice principal who had been rescued from a sinking South Korean ferry has been found dead. The news came as rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of people still missing from the ferry and feared dead. The passengers included 325 second-year students from Danwon...
Anger of missing passengers' relatives mounts as it emerges third officer was steering when the accident occurred The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday was not at the helm of the vessel when it capsized, investigators said on Friday as hopes dimmed for almost 300 passengers still trapped inside. The official death toll from the disaster, which occurred off the south-west coast...