South Korean Ferry Regularly Carried Excessive Cargo, Report Says

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South Koreans gather to bow in memory of the victims and missing passengers aboard the sunken ferry boat Sewol.

Image: Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

By Samantha Murphy Kelly2014-05-04 17:27:19 UTC

The South Korean ferry Sewol, which sank off the country's southern coast last month — leaving more than 300 passengers dead or missing — reportedly exceeded its cargo limit for more than a year leading up to its final trip.

The ferry unsafely exceed its cargo limit on 246 voyages in 13 months, and could have been more overloaded than ever on its last day, according to the Associated Press, citing documents that reveal regulatory failures.

SEE ALSO: South Korean Coast Guard Video Shows Ferry Captain Fleeing Ship

Eight bodies were recovered on Sunday, with the death toll reaching 244. Only 174 people have been rescued so far, and 58 remain missing, including 22 of the 29 crew members on board, the AP reported.

On April 16, the ferry sank with 476 passengers on board. Of those, there were more than 330 students and teachers from Danwon High School in Ansan, a city near Seoul. The final death toll is expected to be around 300.

Although the reason for the ferry's sinking is unknown, experts said a small turn could have upset its balance if it was overloaded with cargo, the AP said. Data shows the ship made a 45-degree turn around the time it started sinking.

There is no record of how much cargo was aboard the final Sewol trip, information that is typically documented after the ferry's arrival.

This isn't the first safety failure that's surfaced in the wake of the ferry disaster. South Korea's regulators had enough information to determine that the Sewol was "routinely overloaded," but did not — and were not required — to share that data, according to the AP. A coast-guard official told the AP that the Korea Shipping Association should have reported any additional cargo to the Incheon port's operator.

Kwon Jun-young, an official with South Korea's Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries, said it may take the responsibility of overseeing passenger-ship safety away from the shipping association, and give it to another agency, the AP reported.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with about 50 relatives of those missing Sunday on Jindo island, which is close to where the Sewol sank. This was her second time visiting victims' families; the first time, Park apologized for the way the government first handled the disaster response.

"I've gone through the grief of losing family, so I understand it well," Park told the relatives, according to the AP. "My heart breaks to think about how you must feel."

The Sewol's captain, Lee Joon-seok, and 14 other crew members were arrested on negligence charges, and for abandoning passengers aboard the ferry during an emergency. President Park compared the actions of the captain and some crew to murder.

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Topics: Sewol, south korea ferry, US & World, World