South Korea to Disband Coast Guard

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South Korea to Disband CoastGuard, Leader Says

By CHOE SANG-HUN MAY 19, 2014

SEOUL, South Korea President Park Geun-hye of South Korea vowed on Monday to

disband her countrys coast uard, sayin that South Korea owed !refor" and a

reat transfor"ation# to hundreds of hih schoo$ students who died in a ferry disaster

$ast "onth%

&owin dee'$y, Ms% Park offered a !heartfe$t a'o$oy# for havin fai$ed to 'revent

the sinkin of the ferry, the Sewo$, on ('ri$ )* and for the coast uards bun$in of

rescue o'erations%

!+he u$ti"ate res'onsibi$ity $ies with "e, the 'resident,# she said%

($thouh she had a'o$oied a few ti"es over the sinkin, Ms% Parks nationa$$y

te$evised s'eech on Monday was her c$earest e'ression of 'ub$ic contrition% (s of

Monday, ./* 'eo'$e had been confir"ed dead, with )/ "issin, "akin the e'isode one of

the countrys worst 'eaceti"e disasters% 0t has a$so deve$o'ed into Ms% Parks

biest 'o$itica$ crisis1 over the weekend, the 'o$ice detained "ore than .22 'eo'$e who

had tried to "arch on her office, ca$$in on her to ste' down%

On Monday, the "ain o''osition 'arty, the 3ew Po$itics ($$iance for 4e"ocracy,

described Ms% Parks decision to dis"ant$e the coast uard as !shock thera'y#

desined to divert attention fro" her offices fai$ure to dea$ effective$y with thedisaster% 0t de"anded the a''oint"ent of inde'endent investiators to $ook "ore broad$y

into her overn"ents fai$ures%

Ms% Park defended her reoraniation '$an% !5e fai$ed to save those students who

shou$d have been saved,# she said% !0 wi$$ "ake this an o''ortunity for South Korea to

be born aain%#

She 'ro"ised to disband the coast uard and overhau$ her overn"ent to he$' it dea$

"ore efficient$y with disasters% +he vast "a6ority of the dead and "issin were students

tra''ed in the danerous$y $istin ferry after its crew re'eated$y ured the" to stay

'ut%

(ccordin to the transcri'ts of coast uard radio co""unications re$eased over the

weekend, the first coast uard boats to arrive at the scene on ('ri$ )* were

re'eated$y ordered to try to reach the 'asseners tra''ed inside% &ut they res'onded

that the ferry was too heavi$y ti$ted for their officers to board it% +hey on$y saved the

shi's ca'tain and other crew "e"bers who were desertin the shi', and those

'asseners who f$ed the shi' on their own%

+he coast uard !didnt do its duty,# Ms% Park said% !0f it had tried to rescue

'eo'$e "ore swift$y and "ore active$y riht after the accident, it cou$d have reat$y

reduced the casua$ties%#

+he duties of the coast uard wi$$ be absorbed into the nationa$ 'o$ice force or into a

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