Sewol Ferry Special Prosecutor "No Fabricated Evidence" Non-Indictment... Families Sigh (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Special Prosecutor Hyunju Lee concluded all suspicions surrounding the Sewol ferry disaster evidence manipulation allegations as no charges and wrapped up the investigation on the 10th.

The special prosecutor held a press conference at the Seoul Bar Association in the afternoon and announced that they would not file charges regarding the allegations of manipulation and editing of evidence related to the Sewol ferry disaster. Since its launch on May 13, the special prosecutor has investigated for 90 days ▲the Navy and Coast Guard's 'Sewol DVR (CCTV storage device) collection process allegations' ▲the 'Sewol ferry closed-circuit television (CCTV)' data manipulation allegations ▲and the appropriateness of the Blue House and other government responses related to the DVR.

Special Prosecutor Lee Hyun-joo (second from left) is announcing the investigation results on April 16 Sewol ferry disaster evidence manipulation and editing allegations at the Seoul Bar Association in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Special Prosecutor: "No Evidence of Data Manipulation... Decision Not to Prosecute"

The special prosecutor stated that there was no evidence to support the allegations regarding the Navy and Coast Guard's 'Sewol DVR' collection and handover process, and thus decided not to file charges. The core of this allegation is that the 'Sewol DVR' was secretly collected before June 22, 2014, and replaced with a 'fake DVR' on the same day. A special prosecutor official said, "We found no grounds to believe that a 'fake DVR' existed separately from the 'Sewol DVR,' nor any evidence that the DVR was swapped."

The special prosecutor reached the same conclusion regarding the allegations of manipulation of the Sewol CCTV data. This allegation claims that someone manipulated the 'Sewol CCTV' data stored in the 'Sewol DVR.' A special prosecutor official said, "After reviewing approximately 1,310 hours of footage from four CCTV cameras, the unusual phenomena pointed out as signs of manipulation were confirmed to be phenomena that can generally occur during data restoration," adding, "No suspicious points indicating data manipulation were found."

Regarding the appropriateness of the Blue House and other government responses related to the DVR, the special prosecutor said, "After reviewing all evidence, including presidential records and Navy and Coast Guard communication data, no criminal suspicion was found regarding the appropriateness of the government response." Additionally, the special prosecutor stated, "There was a request to investigate the Sewol ferry's trajectory, but after review, it was determined that this was not within the special prosecutor's investigation scope."

Regarding the Sewol ferry disaster, repeated efforts to uncover the truth and punish those responsible have been made through prosecution investigations, National Assembly inquiries, Board of Audit and Inspection audits, Maritime Safety Tribunal investigations, Sewol Special Investigation Committee investigations, Sewol Hull Investigation Committee investigations, and Social Disaster Special Investigation Committee activities. In November 2019, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office formed a special investigation team for the Sewol ferry disaster. Including this special prosecutor, eight agencies have conducted nine investigations. A special prosecutor official said, "The special prosecutor made the best efforts to uncover the truth," and added, "We hope this investigation resolves the related suspicions."

Special Prosecutor Lee Hyun-joo (second from left) is greeting after announcing the investigation results to uncover the truth behind the allegations of manipulation and editing of evidence related to the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster at the Seoul Bar Association in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Bereaved Families: "Investigation Was Inadequate... See You in 30 Years"

However, Kyung-geun Yoo, Executive Director of the 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families Association, criticized the investigation results, saying, "The special prosecutor failed to explain why the footage does not show the accident situation, remaining largely within the scope of assumptions based on testimonies." During the Q&A session, Yoo said, "I did not expect the data manipulation or collection allegations to be clearly revealed, but at least I hoped to see how the government responded during and after the disaster," and asked, "Was there anything recognized during the investigation process, or was there nothing at all?"

The special prosecutor responded, "Even aside from the Sewol CCTV, we thoroughly examined presidential records and National Intelligence Service materials to see if there were any inappropriate parts, but found nothing meaningful." Regarding the reason for the CCTV shutdown, the special prosecutor said, "We cannot state it clearly," but added, "It is presumed to be a power outage caused by a sudden sharp turn."

The bereaved families sighed multiple times at the special prosecutor's responses. Some families claimed the investigation was insufficient, including the investigation of family members. Although the special prosecutor repeatedly explained, "Family members were also investigated," they expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Many video materials we have were not handed over to the special prosecutor, and they did not listen to those who know all the details."

In response to the families' protests, the special prosecutor concluded the Q&A by saying, "Our investigation team conducted a thorough investigation and reviewed all materials. Since all subjects were investigated, we are confident there are no shortcomings." The families left the press conference site, saying, "Let's see how clean it was in 10 or 30 years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.