An estimated 80,000 people — parents with children, students, labourers, religious figures and activists — gathered that afternoon in the centre of the capital with different kinds of flags: flags of human rights organisations, labour unions and NGOs in addition to hundreds of yellow flags representing solidarity with the victims of Sewol ferry tragedy.

Bound for Jeju Island from Incheon, the Sewol ferry capsized while carrying 417 passengers. Of these, 304 lives were lost (200 of them students and teachers from Danwon High School in addition to truck drivers on duty, tourists and other civilians).Ten passengers are still missing. Seven members of the rescue team also lost their lives in the process of the rescue operation. After being saved from the ferry, vice-principal of Danwon High School Kang Min-kyu committed suicide, leaving a message apologising to the school community.

In the weeks and months following the tragedy, South Korean society collectively mourned. Celebrations for Easter and the Buddha’s birthday were scaled down, and public concerts and festivals were cancelled. Television and radio programs were altered to match the grief. School excursions and corporate events were postponed till further notice. Local communities all over the country set up shrines and memorials of yellow ribbons with individual messages to the victims and their families. Newspapers have reported the tragedy’s impact on the economy across industries.

The aftermath of the tragedy has taken its toll on the ruling Saenuri Party’s popularity and overshadowed the local elections in June. Civil society, religious groups and the Family of Victims’ Committee are also holding ongoing protests, candlelight vigils and hunger strikes in order to pressure the government. They are demanding the enactment of a special law that would allow an independent and thorough investigation into the cause of the sinking of the ferry and the overall lack of coordination of the rescue operation.

There are three major issues surrounding the accident that intersect with many problems of South Korean society: irregular labour, the government’s continuous special treatment of Chaebol (South Korean conglomerates) and prevalent frustration with the media.

First, 19 out of the 33 crew members on the ferry, including the captain and the first mate, were irregular workers. A senior member of the crew was given the job with only verbal agreement one day before the ferry departed, contributing to increasing speculation that proper training for irregular workers among the Sewol crew was lacking. In addition to the absence of job security it is estimated that irregular workers get paid less than 50 per cent of the wage of a worker on a permanent or long-term contract. With temporary employment contracts and poor working conditions, irregular workers are on the rise in South Korea. These working conditions are not only a problem of the maritime industry but all sectors of South Korean society.

Second, the Sewol ferry was illegally renovated to carry extra cargo in order to bring in higher profits for its owner, the Cheonghaejin Marine Company. The government’s special treatment of Chaebol in South Korea is not a new phenomenon. Investigators noted that the Sewol ferry had carried excess cargo 139 times since it began the Incheon-Jeju route in March 2013, resulting in almost US$3 million in profit for the owner. Despite this flouting of cargo regulations, the Sewol ferry regularly passed government safety checks.

Third, in the few hours immediately following the accident, several media companies falsely reported that all passengers on the ferry had been rescued. These reports had a devastating impact on the public. Hundreds of journalists have gone on strike to protest the government’s manipulation of the media, and the president of South Korean public broadcaster KBS resigned after being pressured by the public.

These three problems, all too familiar in South Korean society, have created anger and public disappointment. Citizens have doubts about the ability and will of the government to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the disaster. They doubt the government’s ability to implement new safety measures that would prevent such tragedies from happening in the future. The families of the victims, with the support of civil society organisations and religious groups have been protesting continuously for legal changes. They have been protesting in front of the National Assembly building and holding hunger strikes and protests in Gwanghwamun Square, a central location in downtown Seoul.

The cause of the sinking of the Sewol ferry is not merely an accident but a failure by the South Korean government to ensure the safety of its citizens, especially the vulnerable. Parents of the victims, still devastated at the loss of their children, and relatives are continuing their protests and hunger strikes, demanding the government conduct an independent and transparent investigation.

Lina Koleilat is a PhD scholar at the College of Asia and The Pacific at The Australian National University. She is currently conducting fieldwork in South Korea. She is the recipient of a 2014 Prime Minister Australia Asia Endeavour Award. Her research is partially funded by the Australian Government through the Australia-Korea Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.