As Sewol crew is scorned, young worker hailed as heroine
ミャンマーの郵便システム改善で覚書
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
More crew members have been charged in the Sewol sinking incident
But survivors tell of a young crew member who helped students get life jackets
She refused one herself, witnesses tell South Korean media
Students weep outside Danwon High School, where many remain missing
Incheon, South Korea (CNN) -- The number of crew members charged is rising, and so is the anger that families feel.
But there's one crew member they are leaving out: Park Jee Young, 22, who by witness accounts helped them escape and distributed life jackets -- one after the other to students -- as the stricken ferry began to sink.
When she ran out of jackets, she ran to the next floor to grab more.
When she was asked why she wasn't wearing a life jacket, Park said that crew members would be last and that she had to help others first, according to witness accounts to South Korean media.
Park now lies in a funeral home in the city of Incheon.
She is one of the 87 people dead; 215 remain missing.
The other day, a man with injuries to his head showed up to the funeral room where Park's memorial stands.
When asked by Park's family who he was, the man said that he had been injured in the ferry and that he was "indebted" to the young woman who placed a towel on his bloody head and helped him as the water rose.
"She was so responsible and so kind," said her grandmother, Jung Jee Kwon, who sat on the floor, slumped against a wall, no longer able to stand. Her family members kneeled with her, holding her hand and weeping together on the floor.
White mums and lilies, which signify death, poured in from strangers, covering the hallway leading to her memorial room. The flowers contain messages like "We will not forget your noble spirit." "We will always remember your sacrifice." "Hero." An online petition has gone up urging the government to award her a Good Samaritan award.
Her relatives say Park wanted to stay in college, but she felt responsible for supporting her family after her father passed away two years ago. So she dropped out and joined the ferry company in 2012. She was transferred to a bigger ship, the Sewol, about six months ago, because she had proved her capabilities, her relatives said.
The Sewol's sinking has left many appalled by the alleged actions of several members of the crew -- including the captain, who now faces a series of criminal charges for his role in last week's sinking.
"This is so unfair that our Jee Young had to die while the captain ran away," said her aunt, who declined to give her name. "Jee Young was so responsible, and the captain just ran away."
Over two-thirds of those on board were students on a high school field trip, many of whom remain missing.
Students grieve in hometown
The high school is missing most of its sophomores, and classes are to resume Thursday.
Those who are not students, teachers or parents were not allowed on school grounds to allow those to grieve privately. Well-wishers milled outside the school gate, writing Post-it notes and signs with messages of hope and encouragement. "Brothers and sisters, please come back," one read.
Post-it notes pile up in front of the sign at the gate of Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea.
"It feels so empty now," said student Kim Song Kyum, 17. "It's not an environment where you can study now."
Every student there knows someone who has died or gone missing, the teenagers said.
"I want everything to be a lie," high school student Oh Hae Youn said. "When I wake up in the morning, I feel like everything feels right. Then, I realize it's not. I just wish everything was a lie."
By Madison Park and Stella Kim, CNN
April 21, 2014 -- Updated 1434 GMT (2234 HKT)
Witnesses say Park Jee Young, a 22-year-old crew member, refused a life vest because she was too busy helping passengers.
韓国大統領 船長ら「殺人のようなもの」4月21日 15時46分
韓国で起きた旅客船の沈没事故で、パク・クネ大統領は２１日、「船長らが取った行動は殺人のようなもので容認できない」と厳しく批判する一方で「政府に対する国民の不信は大きい」と述べて、危機の際の政府の対応について根本から見直すよう指示しました。
パク・クネ大統領は２１日午前、首席秘書官らとの会議で旅客船沈没事故で逮捕された船長らについて「乗客を捨てて先に脱出をするとは法的にも倫理的にも想像さえできない。船長らが取った行動は殺人のようなもので到底容認できない」と厳しく批判するとともに、責任の追及と事故原因の究明を徹底して進めるよう指示しました。
その一方でパク大統領は、事故発生の翌日に救助活動の拠点となっているチンドを訪れたところ、安否の分からない乗客の家族たちから不満を浴びせらたことに触れ、「政府への不信は大きい。苦境に陥った国民に信頼を与えるのが公務員の責務であり、それをおろそかにするのなら存在する理由がない」と述べて家族への対応に誠意を尽くすよう指示しました。
さらに政府として危機の際に適切に対応できるよう、これまでの制度ややり方を根本から見直すよう求めました。
ミャンマーの郵便システム改善で覚書4月21日 21時37分
政府が、成長戦略の重要な柱と位置づけるインフラ輸出の一環として、総務省は、整備が行き届いていないミャンマーの郵便システムを改善するため、日本の専門家を派遣して具体的な支援を行うことになり、２１日、覚書を結びました。 ミャンマーで郵便事業を所管する通信・情報技術省のウィン・タン副大臣が、２１日総務省を訪れ、新藤総務大臣と郵便分野の協力についての覚書を結びました。
それによりますと、日本郵便の関係者をミャンマーに派遣して、郵便物を仕分けする作業手順や、郵便ポストの利用しやすい設置場所、それに配達先の氏名や住所を郵便局ごとに管理する方法など効率的な運用のしかたを伝えるとしています。
総務省が、先月まで行った現地調査によりますと、郵便システムの整備が遅れているミャンマー国内では、郵便物が１０日以内に届かなかったケースが全体の１割ほどあったということです。
今回の支援を通じて日本は、郵便物を高速で仕分ける日本製の区分機の受注や、ダイレクトメールなどのサービス開始につなげて、経済発展が見込まれるミャンマーへの日本企業の進出を後押ししたい考えです。
政府が進めるインフラ輸出のうち、郵便分野の本格的な支援は今回が初めてで、総務省は今後、ベトナムにも同様の支援を行うことにしています。
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