A new special prosecution unit raided multiple offices of the Korea Coast Guard with the aim to find evidence in regards to the sinking of the ferry Sewol in 2014, which claimed the lives of 304 people.
The raids are said to be part of the latest in a long series of investigations into the loss of the ferry Sewol. It was reported that the raids recovered personnel records listing the names of the first responders on the day of the sinking, as well as other documents related to the accident.
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Moreover, according to South Korean media, authorities entered the service’s main headquarters in Incheon and regional stations in Mokpo, Wando and Yeosu in the morning of Friday, November 22.
This special committee conducting the investigation is reporting its findings to the special prosecutorial team, including evidence of alleged deficiencies in the Korea Coast Guard’s post-accident response.
In fact, this new criminal inquiry will follow leads generated by a long-running public inquest into the circumstances of the sinking and then the post-accident response.
This comes just days after Yonhap reported in mid-November that the Sewol sinking incident is again being investigated to determine the cause and probe any mishandling of the former conservative government’s rescue operations, according to the Supreme Prosecutors Office.
In August 2018, a panel responsible for the investigation the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, did not manage to find the exact cause of the ship’s sinking after an effort that lasted for a year, leaving many issues unanswered for one of South Korea’s worst maritime tragedies.
Once the investigation was completed, the panel concluded that the cause of the Sewol sinking could be either problems with the ship or an unknown external shock, Yonhap news agency reported.
