11) CAPITALISM AND THE SEWOL DISASTER

By Sean Burton, Seoul, May 11 2014

            The sinking of the Sewol ferry off the southwest coast of the Korean peninsula on April 16 has been a stab in the heart of this country. Weeks later, long lines of people continue to form at memorial sites for the victims of the sinking, many of them high school students from a Seoul suburb en route to a field trip on the southern island of Jeju.

            Almost immediately, there were questions directed at the conduct of the crew and captain Lee Joon‑seok. South Korea's President Park even went so far as to call their actions "murderous".

            It's easy to put the blame on individuals. Certainly, any misconduct ought to be punished. However, Koreans are not buying the story that all fault lies with the crew. There have been ongoing calls for the government to take more responsibility for what the public views as a botched rescue operation. Some officials, including the prime minister, have already resigned. On May 9, family members of the victims gathered near the presidential residence demanding a face‑to‑face meeting with Park, only to be blocked by police.

            The Sewol sinking is South Korea's worst ever maritime loss of life. The disaster does in fact hint at something rotten in the status quo. A systemic analysis strongly suggests that the fault is capitalism's, not Captain Lee's.

            Chonghaejin Marine, the owner of the vessel, was apparently in considerable debt. This led to a series of measures to boost profit from the venture. First, the vessel itself had been purchased from a Japanese company, and had already been operating there since 1994. Additional weight was added to make space for more cabins. In addition to increasing the passenger capacity, the company seemed to make a habit of overloading the cargo. Cost‑cutting measures were also pursued where the crew was concerned. Few if any were actually full‑time professionals. Most were serving on a short‑term contractual basis, including the captain. Thus it is difficult to say how familiar the crew actually was with the vessel.

            These conditions are hardly unique to the Sewol. Indeed, overloaded cargo was a contributing factor to the last major shipping disaster in 1993 with the sinking of the MV Seohae. Sloppy enforcement of regulations can be seen in other aspects of South Korean society. Police will scarcely bat an eye at vehicles running red lights. Cheap one‑room apartments thrown up in a month end up with mold growing on the walls soon after; but that's just life!

            Even the rescue operation has been singled out for shortcomings. There was confusion about rescue responsibilities and an overall lack of coordination between the Coast Guard, Navy, and other medical support groups. In its report on the situation, the Coordinating Committee of the Asia‑Wide Campaign Against US‑Japan Aggression noted the cynical fact that these organizations have no problems working together when engaged in anti‑North Korean operations. Recently, one of the divers in the rescue operation also died. With so much pressure to recover the bodies, and the dangerous workaholic mentality of South Korean capitalism, that diver too is a victim.

            These structural problems are not state secrets. Those in power here know all too well where the fault lies, and so far the people are not accepting the surface accusations. Memory of this event may well bring down the Park government, and in any case will provide another sad example in the case against neoliberal capitalism.

(The above article is from the May 16-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)