According to South Korea's President Park Geun Hye, the actions of the sunken ferry's crew was 'like murder'. She then called for a thorough investigation that resulted in 300 people either dead or still missing.
In a report from the presidential office as reported by Bloomberg, President Park said, "The actions of the captain and some crew members just cannot be understood with common sense. They are like murder and should not be tolerated." She added, "Lumps of shock and rage are developing in the hearts of not only me but also of the people."
The ferry was carrying 476 people at the time of the incident. Most of the passengers were high school students out on an educational tour to Jeju Island. Investigators are focusing on why the ferry suddenly turned quickly before it listed and went underwater. Prosecutors have since arrested four members of the ferry's crew on grounds of abandonment of post as well as violations of other maritime laws.
Prosecutor Ahn Sang Don, in a news briefing with reporters, said that the police officers have arrested Kang and Shin, both officers of first rank, a Kim who is of second rank and Park, one of the ferry's ship engineers. Two days earlier, the ship's captain as well as two other members were arrested and facing charges of accidental homicide. He added that one of ship's engineering crew was not arrested but had tried to commit suicide after being questioned. The prosecution is still open to the possibility of arresting other crew members as the investigation continues.
Initial investigation results yielded the fact that Captain Lee Joon Seok was not on the bridge when the ship started to list and sink. He was reported to have escaped ahead of the passengers. The whereabouts and actions of the other crew members are still subject to further investigation. Included in the investigation were the actions of the crew, as investigators are analyzing phone messages from passengers on the ship through KakaoTalk application.
