South Koreans see lax safety beyond ferry sinking

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — What does a sudden South Korean media obsession with cars parked next to fire hydrants, and construction workers neglecting to wear hard hats, have to do with the country’s worst disaster in years? It’s a sign of a nation that has been jolted into thinking about safety.

One month after the ferry sinking that left more than 300 people dead or missing, there is a national debate — and spasms of shame and fury — over issues neglected as the country made its breakneck way from poverty, war and dictatorship to one of Asia’s top economic, diplomatic and cultural powers. The tragedy exposed regulatory failures that appear to have allowed the ferry Sewol to set off with far more cargo than it could safely carry.