Coast Guard Day

[Anchor Lead]

At a ceremony marking Coast Guard Day, President Moon Jae-in said the Coast Guard must learn a lesson from the Sewol ferry tragedy to better protect the public. The bereaved families of the Sewol ferry disaster, many of whom feel that they lost their loved ones in the tragedy because of the Coast Guard's inadequate response, also attended the ceremony.

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At a ceremony marking Coast Guard Day, President Moon Jae-in offered encouragement to the Korea Coast Guard, which became an independent entity three years after its dismantlement following the Sewol ferry tragedy. President Moon urged the Coast Guard to learn its lesson from the Sewol ferry and overhaul itself completely in order to regain public trust.

[Soundbite] President Moon Jae-in : "There must be no more citizens who suffer because of incompetence and irresponsibility at sea."

The president urged the Coast Guard to identify the fundamental problems which plagued the Sewol ferry rescue efforts and to devise measures and cooperate with the relevant institutions to improve its disaster field command capabilities. He also urged the protection of Korea's maritime sovereignty.

[Soundbite] President Moon Jae-in : "We must bolster our defense system on remote islands such as Dokdo and Ieodo so that nobody can infringe upon our waters."

President Moon asked the Coast Guard to crack down on illegal foreign fishing vessels to prevent them from depleting marine resources and threatening the livelihoods of Korean fishermen. The ceremony was also attended by the bereaved families of the Sewol ferry victims.