April 16 will mark the second anniversary of the Sewol tragedy, which took the innocent lives of 304 people. It was an overwhelming tragedy caused by the greed of capital, the incompetence of our government, and the unsound connection between politics and business, but the truth remains hidden behind a veil. Kang Hye-seong, a crew member in charge of the passengers on board the Sewol testified, "We told the people to wait inside their cabin on orders from Chonghaejin Marine Company, the owner of the ship," on the first day of the second parliamentary hearing by the Special Committee for the Investigation of the Sewol Tragedy Monday. Kang, who had told the passengers to "Stay still," over the ship's broadcasting system just before the ship sank, said, "Yang Dae-hong (deceased), the purser in charge of the passengers said, 'There was an order from the company. Tell the passengers to wear their life jackets and wait until further instructions'." No details of the company giving orders to wait were revealed in the process of the investigation and trial. An additional investigation into Chonghaejin Marine Company is now inevitable due to Kang's testimony. In addition, allegations were raised that the Jindo Coast Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Center and the Jeju VTS Center edited and manipulated the recordings of their communication with the Sewol in the early stages of the accident by intentionally adding static. Yesterday, the second day of the hearing, some people even claimed that there was a special relationship between the National Intelligence Service and Chonghaejin Marine Company.

The testimonies and allegations that surfaced during the hearing show that the investigation into the tragedy was lacking despite the 150,000-page documents including material by the special committee for the parliamentary investigation, trial records, and the details of the prosecutors' investigation. President Park Geun-hye and the ruling party cried out for sweeping changes in the country after the tragedy, but they were empty cries not based on identifying the truth behind the incident. It is now difficult to believe the prosecutors, who claimed they would strictly punish those with criminal charges through a thorough investigation. As new allegations emerge in the hearing, it is necessary that we introduce a special prosecutor.

The Special Act on the Sewol Tragedy drafted by the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties stipulates that we can introduce the special prosecutor on two occasions and that the special committee can request the National Assembly to take a vote when they deem that an investigation by a special prosecutor is necessary. But the Saenuri Party has left the request for a special prosecutor, submitted by the special committee last month, go adrift. The Saenuri Party should accept the special committee's request to extend the operating period of the committee as well as the request for a special prosecutor. President Park met with the families of the victims a month after the Sewol tragedy and said, "We need to enact a special bill to identify the truth and introduce a special prosecutor." Identifying the truth behind the Sewol tragedy is the first step to eradicating the evils of our society and the least courtesy we can show the families of the victims. The president should keep her promise and the Saenuri Party should not trample on this issue, an important agreement reached by the 19th National Assembly.