Friday, June 11, 2010

Cheonan Aftermath

Well unlike the North when someone cries "heads will role" the South government doesn't actually kill them. They do however fire people from high level positions, even when they have cute Dixie cups.

There was a recent inquiry (watchdog group) into the official military report on the sinking of the Cheonan (which I am surprised they actually did an inquiry).

""Military officers deliberately left out or distorted key information in their report to senior officials and the public because they wanted to avoid being held to account for being unprepared," a BAI official said. (source)

Some choice quotes:
"Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui was heavily intoxicated on the night of March 26 when the sinking of the Cheonan took place. This represented an effective surrender of his command responsibilities."

"...military authorities willfully revised the time of the incident in order to avoid criticisms about an improper early response..."

"Park refused to disclose the extent of Lee’s personal responsibility, saying it would be “inappropriate” to do so, leading observers to contend that the announcement only presented an abbreviated version of the findings. "

"...following a military leaders’ forum...he traveled to Seoul by KTX in a heavily inebriated state...and, after spending about ten minutes attending a situation assessment meeting...(he) effectively abandoned his duties and fell asleep."

There are reasons why people don't trust their governments. Stating again I am proud though that people looked into the official story and held people accountable.

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