Ferry Grounding Scandal Deepens: Focus Shifts to Captain's Absenteeism and Crew Negligence

A deepening investigation into the recent grounding of the ferry Queen Jenuvia II, which left 78 people injured off the coast of Mokpo, has exposed a severe lapse in professional conduct, with South Korea’s Coast Guard now aggressively pursuing charges against senior crew members. The Coast Guard has already detained and sought arrest warrants for the first officer—who reportedly admitted to being distracted by reading the news on a cellphone during his watch—and the helmsman. However, the most damning revelation to emerge from the widening probe is the alleged repeated absence of the vessel's master from the bridge during critical navigation phases. Media reports, corroborated by the Coast Guard's witness interviews, suggest the captain was not present to supervise navigation as the ferry approached the busy, tightly controlled shipping lane leading into Mokpo port, a practice considered a major dereliction of duty. The investigation indicates that the first officer initially blamed a steering mechanism failure before confessing to distraction, while the helmsman was reportedly looking at the gyrocompass despite the vessel being incorrectly left on autopilot in a mandatory manual navigation zone. The captain’s decision to rest in his cabin, despite navigating a known, high-risk channel after the four-hour journey from Jeju Island, is now the central focus of the arrest warrant being sought by the Mokpo Coast Guard. This incident echoes painful past maritime tragedies and underscores a deep-seated regulatory and cultural failure regarding crew accountability and adherence to safety protocols. For a nation with a recent, tragic history of ferry disasters, these findings serve as a harsh and necessary call for systemic reform across the maritime industry. The push to hold the highest-ranking crew members accountable is a move to restore public faith and prevent future, entirely avoidable, loss of life and injury. The truth is simple: maritime safety demands unwavering professionalism.