South Korea’s rapid transformation from a war-torn country to Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse is a source of national pride.
But a series of preventable disasters – from the Sewol ferry to the 2022 Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, which killed more than 150 mostly young people – has shaken public confidence in authorities.
Last year, a 20-year-old marine died after he was swept away while doing relief work during major floods, with reports saying he had never been given a life jacket by the authorities.
Experts say that the current government’s handling of the Itaewon disaster and the marine’s death – including the president’s vetoing of a bill that would have allowed a special investigation into the Seoul crowd crush – proved an electoral liability.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung slammed what he described as government failures leading to loss of life.
“South Korea had to change after the Sewol ferry disaster. Unfortunately, a society of ‘every man for himself’ re-emerged, leading to the loss of precious lives in Itaewon… and the (late) marine,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Source: CNA
