The activities of the 'Corruption Committee', which started in 2018, have entered their fifth year. Since November of last year, we have reviewed the results of previous investigations into the Sewol ferry and the humidifier disinfectant disaster in an open meeting of all members. This year the Committee activity period is ending. Families of the victims and the general public need to understand what happened as a basis for preventing a recurrence. Attention, including criticism and encouragement, is needed more than ever.
The fact-finding process for human rights violations is not a simple process of confirming facts based on the 6 principles of news gathering: who, when, where, what, how, why. There are many complex problems, such as various facts, interpretations, and concerns, and the way to deal with these differences of opinion. This entire process should lead to healing socially, and especially to the victims.
The investigation into the cause of the Ferry Sewol sinking is a process of approaching the truth despite various limitations: damage to evidence, incompleteness of experiments, inaccuracies of statements, and the possibility of bias. There may be many disagreements, sometimes leading to distrust, hatred, attack, and criticism, but if approached calmly looking in the same direction, acceptable results, even if not completely satisfied, will be reached.
The National Intelligence Service has produced 680,000 documents (including duplicate documents) related to the Ferry Sewol disaster, many have nothing to do with the issue. There have been various attempts to collect and neutralize information from the Blue House and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The Ferry Sewol disaster was a crisis to the government and raising issues to resolve the Sewol ferry disaster was considered a threat and operations were actually carried out against the victims' families, media, courts, and special investigators. And above all, knowing the facts, no one from the president to the Coast Guard made a responsible apology. In this state, more aggravated forms of disasters are bound to be repeated.
When many people die or suffer from serious diseases of unknown cause, such as humidifier disinfectant disasters, the government must seek answers to solve the problem. The disaster had been neglected for a considerable period until the cause of the disaster was confirmed in 2011, and the government should take clear responsibility for it.
Some companies did not hesitate to cover up and discard relevant evidence afterward. The behavior of companies that approached the committee as if they were conducting operations against the victims should not be repeated again. The companies are to be the vanguard of "social value" and "environmental, social and cooperate governance". (ESC) should not be the same as it is now.
The 8th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster is approaching, and victims of the humidifier sterilizer disaster are complaining of frustration for not solving the issue. Government agencies, corporations, and other relevant entities should be guided toward overcoming disasters based on principles and responsibilities. Change is possible only when all of us who know how to feel pain are with the victims' families until justice is achieved.
