Korean Job Discussion Forums

[EZE]

[uklathemock]

This crap reminds me of the Daegu train disaster...subway conductor bails and leaves all the passengers locked inside. So far, none of the survivors ever heard an abandon ship announcement from the p.a. system from what I've read.

[wanderkind]

[Smithington]

Just an awful story. Heart wrenching. Just imagine for a moment, in your mind's eye, the horrible scene under the capsized ferry. Think of the panicked calls tp parents and those parents being unable to help their children. Noone with a soul, whatever their issues with Korea and Koreans, can fail to be moved by this tragedy.

This does not mean, however, that we cannot analyze it and think of possible explanations. The media is speculating, and every Korean with a pulse is speculating. There is no reason why we on Dave's can't speculate too, although of course it must be kept within the bounds of decency. The reality is that Korean cultural norms may well have played a part is this tragedy. I don't think that's an outrageous thing to say. We know how vehicles are operated here, the lack of a safety culture, cutting corners, the bballi bballi phenomenon, lack of respect for posted rules, sleep deprivation, and confucianism. They may not have played a central role, but they certainly may have. It's only human to wonder how this could happen. At all times, however, we must be aware of the horror we are witnessing.

As for the captain, I'm no fan of the death penalty but I'd make an exception in his case. Also, why did the rest of the crew (with the exception of the one wonderful, brave woman) follow the captain onto the life raft? Was the young lady the only one whose sense of responsibility, and basic human decency, was greater than her impulse to obey the captain...and flee? Given what we know about the Asiana crash (that it was indeed cultural factors at play), and what we personally observe about Korean culture on a daily basis, informed guesses are not beyond the pale. But we must be careful.

Anyway, it's extremely sad. Their families will never be the same.

[mayorgc]

Hearing about the 22 year old lady just made my day so much worse.

SR, your attitude is what's wrong with the world.

Korean's are not evil people, but it's a fair and valid statement to say that Korean culture does play a role in the way things are run in this country.

When things are going good, it sometimes really does boil down to K culture. When the *beep* hits the fan, sometimes, culture is involved as well.

[Steelrails]

[Zyzyfer]

[guavashake]

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Where any lifeboats on-board the ship deployed? Did the staff assist in organizing an evacuation (apart from the 22 year old that died)?

My understanding is that those that survived fended for themselves.

==
I was watching BBC World last night. They interviewed a foreign English teacher on Jindo island. Wow, I thought, they can't get any Korean official or expert to talk to!

[Captain Corea]

[Savant]

What I don't get it is that if the ship was still continuing to tilt over; surely, the thoughts of most people would be too try to escape as quickly as possible rather than remaining still.

The actions of the crew would be to require all passengers to muster at the nearest evacuation points, in the event that the situation further deteriorates.

If a building is on fire, then you try to exit first before finding a safe place to wait for rescue.

[optik404]

Can't really compare it to a building on fire. Building on fire you try to get outside and you're safe. Sinking boat you have to jump in to the ocean. Which is probably a scary thought for young kids in a panicked situation.

[Steelrails]

[Captain Corea]

[maximmm]