And now you can see why in over seven years SPRING DAY has never left the Melon Music Charts. SPRING DAY will live on as a memory to those who did not survive and to help heal the wounds of those who did.
💜🙏Thank you for sharing your heartfelt reaction to Spring Day..... I want to share with you a comment to another reactor from a survivor of the Sewol disaster.. I would like you to hear from him just how BTS has healed him through this song and the messages they have: His name is Chilo Abellon - and this is his public comment in full - unedited - from 3 years ago.......... "I remembered when they rescuing us its so tragic when you see your classmates/friends stuck asking and hearing them scream for help, the screaming and voices of people asking for help while the ships is sinking the scream slowly vanished. When you can’t help them because the water got deeper and deeper while they rescue us slowly. The time that i got rescued only 3 of us survived, my two classmates and i in our and my other classmates stuck in the ships hoping they’re still alive but when the time i heard the news that they’re all gone. It slowly sinking in that all my friends and the other class are gone and will never comeback. I feel guilty when I survived, I’m thinking am i lucky? Or is it not right that i was alive and not them? Do i deserve to live?. Feeling depressed, having su!cidal thoughts, every night you can’t sleep because i keep hearing those scream a scream people needing a help but you can’t because your weak and got broken bones. Everything time I struggled to see what life is all about, thinking what if all of my friends survived and they with me survived. It would be dream to see that happening. I struggled to make a good life that i can be proud of because of that incident happened but when i found out about BTS my life changed me because of their music they changed my life the way that i can be proud of and I started loving myself by little by little and finally the day I realize life is so short and the incident happened 7years ago impacted my life to be a better person and all of our hardships are just a big task for us to make them done and the outcome will be 100times better the incident happened 7years ago thought me so many things. The biggest one is don’t forget they might be gone but don’t forget them put them on your heart and like life all of your hardship and your mistakes will not lose or fail you it’s always a win win situation because we always learn from them. Spring day is my number 1 fav song of BTS because I reminisce the things happened 7years ago while watching the mv and it always help me to keep going in life and do not give up on things that i want to achieve - My name is Chilo one of the survivors of the sewol ferry incident." I truly hope he does not mind me passing on his public comment - but this best shows the power of BTS message. Only 3 crew members stayed behind to try and help the children, they all lost their lives, along with one of the rescue divers. As a parent, I could not comprehend having to live through such a thing. Horrific that your own government would perpetrate and then cover up such an incident... jailing dissenters for protesting. It was proven that there were high officials with financial interests in the ferry. The president colluded with them to bury the truth and hamper investigations... 10000 people in the public eye (reporters, artists, etc) put on a Govt blacklist for speaking about it. BTS went and paid respects to the parents of the victims in 2014 when the tragedy occurred. No Cameras - No fanfair - just doing what was right...They also donated approx $100,000 (that year they only earnt $300,000 - they gave 1/3 of their earnings) to help the parents in their fight for justice.... We only found out about the donation years later as one of the parents was sick of all the hatred BTS was always getting and wanted others to know what decent and good people they are. The MV, The album cover, The choreography all relate back to the Sewol. But the song itself is about missing anyone you love and are separated from. They were singing Spring Day during the panademic as the world was longing for a spring day. Spring Day has never left the music charts. To this day, it is right that this song is still in the top 100 charts.... 7 years later, as this song still speaks to people everywhere. Sorry this is so long - but I really wanted to pass his comment and information to you relating to your Spring Day reaction video.... with posting your reaction you have helped keep the memory of Sewol alive and maybe others who do not know of it will learn of it. RM and Jin have both since confirmed that the MV relates to the tragedy. Thank you for sharing your journey, and helping to spread BTS message... Sending greetings and love from Australia.... BORAHAE💜 #WeNeverWalkAlone Ps to fully understand all the hidden symbols in their MV watch "What you still don't know about BTS Spring Day " by Italian Army. Pps.... sending our love to Sam praying he feels better soon 🙏 💜
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing. I think because I'm a parent of a young child myself it hit me extra hard. I just can't imagine what those parents were going through and then getting a full understanding of what happened that day. Just hurts my heart thinking about it. As Sam and I have said many times over before, we never in a 100 years thought we would become BTS fans, but it is exactly the reasons you outlined above that has made us big fans of not only their music, but of their character. They are desperately needed. TY 🙏🏻
Thank you for explaining this so well. So important everyone knows and we don’t forget. For myself, I think of all those lost and those they left behind every time I hear Spring Day
Honestly this was one of the “kinder” videos, and I am glad you watched it. But the other ones by Italian ARMY and Rotten Mangos really give you a truer sense of what happened. Some thing to remember: the boat was modified to hold more than it should, and none of the cars, trucks, etc were tied down; The ferry sank because a crew member veered sharply off course and it could not recover; the message that was continually played to the passengers was what you heard which was stay in place do not move. The culture there is to listen to the adults, which is why the children didn’t move; with the exception of a few, the crew were all saved, and what was even more infuriating was that the captain that you saw being saved stripped down to his underwear to appear to be a passenger, and did not tell the rescuers that he was the captain. Nor did he say how many people were still aboard; there were not enough life jackets on the boat; the media played a big role in the misinformation that the public received. With a few exceptions most were reporting that at first all passengers were saved, then the number started trending down. Which made the parents suspicious. So the parents ended up gathering and setting up a command post to help get answers. Reports who were trying to tell what was really happening were facing punishments; the coast guard was totally unequipped to handle any rescue, they were not trained; civilian divers were being prevented from going into the water to try and rescue the passengers. The coast guard was reporting that the conditions were too bad to dive, yet the divers there said the water was calm. Some of the divers equipment seemed to be intentionally sabotaged; the government tried to paint the victims families as people who are liars, who only want money from the government; no one in the government wanted to be the person responsible to make a call when it came to the rescue of the passengers, everyone in power passed the buck. If you remember, one of the conversation you saw was the lament that they couldn’t get footage of rescuing passengers and to be “ hero’s” no one was willing to ask for help for fear of loosing “face”. The president at that time was know to be quite prideful. So when the American navy vessel offered assistance ( mind you that this was a huge vessel with helicopters who could continuously go back and forth rescuing people, 1000 marines who are trained) the president refused their assistance saying that their help wasn’t needed; the majority of people who were resourced by civilians in fishing boats, and after a while, the coast guard was actively preventing them to get close to the sinking vessel; So all in all this was a failure on an epic level, where no one was willing to be in charge, no one was willing to step up, and in the end 300+ lives lost with 250 of them being high school kids. The sadness/rage we all feel when we first watch these videos is just draining, and I can’t even imagine how it was for those families. My heart goes out to you as we all got wrecked by this, and I think this is part of the reason why this song never left the charts.
Yes I love Rotten Mango, Stephanie is Korean American and has an entire team of researchers and translators who help her on all her stories, Steph is excellent story teller, the one from Italian Army is good, but I find it too distracting to read subtitles that continually change from top to bottom and at the same time hearing the person speak in Italian thru out the video, with Steph it's all in English, you just have to listen and watch the graphics she uses to explain things, I highly recommend watching either one for a better look at how this could have turned out so much better if the government did their jobs as well as the coast guard and especially the crew members who had little to no training
The Italian ARMY video does an excellent job of showing how the MV relates to the tragedy. Rotten Tomatoes does an excellent job of explaining everything they've been able to learn about the tragedy. Both are heartbreaking. That the then Korean President turned down the help of experienced US Navy personnel out of pride, rather than prioritizing the rescue just ......
The explanation video of Spring Day gives even more info on this tragedy and why it sank in the first place, PLUS it relates it to the BTS MV. If you can, please consider watching it, too. Please give Sam our best and wishes for a speedy recovery. Such a preventable and maddening tragedy. I was worried about that deep diver from the beginning. I’m so sorry to hear he wasn’t able to bear the pain. I remember that one of Baby Jessica’s (Midland, TX 1987) rescuers wasn’t able to handle it either. The pair of the families and those who did try to do the right thing is beyond my imagination. So heartbreaking.
at the time BTS were not international Artists like they are now but they and their company Big Hit (at that time)donated to the victims families. They did so discreetly. This was a time when the government would put Artists on a Black list and their careers were halted if not stopped altogether.
@@HPReact yes.....crazy but true. The President at the time of this tragedy was South Korean President Park Geun-hye who was sent to prison for her involvement in this and many more illegal things.
As a parent I can't even begin to imagine what those parents went through. It breaks my heart every time I watch something related to the incident. No parent should ever go through something like this, seeing the ferry sinking in front of your eyes, knowing your kid is trapped there and not only being unable to help them, but seeing people do nothing to save them, it's outrageous. Thank you for this reaction and I wish Sam a speedy recovery 🙏
I do think if you watch "BTS Spring Day MV Explained Sewol Ferry/ snowpiercer" you will have a new respect for the BTS music video. But please make sure to set your playback speed at -.75 to read during the video to help you not having to pause or rewind. You will be impressed as a fellow producer how the BTS producers paid attention to the details in the Spring day music video.
I am from the UK. We also had a tragedy at Hillsborough football (soccer) stadium where there was terrible crushing and 97 people were killed. Liverpool fans have been fighting for years as it was reported that the crowd was to blame for being drunk and disorderly, which was not true. After an enquiry the truth came out and it appeared that police opened gates to let in an additional 10,000 fans, which resulted in the terrible injuries and 97 deaths. Parents of the Sewol ferry tradgedy visited Liverpool and some of the teenage Hillsborough victim's parents. In the Spring Day video you see JK standing in front of a carousel with the words written on it 'You Never Walk Alone'. This is the signature/fan song of Liverpool FC.💜
If I'm recalling correctly, the ferry had had modifications done to it that were not inspected/authorized... it was also well over its weight limit. I also remember reading that the president had some kind of investment with one of the companies involved... lots of money under the table.
Yes, I remember that too. The ferry was not supposed to carry the weight it was carrying that day. It was illegal. I think it was mentioned in detail in one of the Spring Day explanation videos.
Yeah also the ferry didn't have enough safety measures like the vehicle on the ferry weren't tied up, there were not enough life jackets and the ferry didn't have enough Ballast water so that they can ship more cargo and many other things
what was more frustrating was that when the boat was sinking U.S marines were nearby and they offered help but the korean government declined… there were 1000 U.S marine soldiers nearby they could’ve saved all 400+ of them on the boat
@@nttm5901in rotten mango's vodcast, she mentioned it being the pride and ego of the president. like if they accepted the help, then they would appear weak. and they dont want that. so they declined the help of everyone. its all really pure incompetence and the disgusting selfish political sht, fr.
@@nttm5901From Rotten mango's video, the reason was because the president had a big ego. Getting help would hurt her pride, so Korea refused any help even if they didn't even have qualified people.
@@zuzu6864 yes and i think Japan also ask Korea at that time if they can help. Because they there also. And what more sad is when sewol sinking their parents watch them drowning without help. Their parents are there.... They even begging the coast guard to at least trying to do something. But coast guard just circling the boat without do anything.
I've never seen this video specifically, and it's so chilling to see those girls in the beginning talking about how they shouldn't follow instructions, because that's exactly what they shouldn't have done. This captain and almost his whole crew deserve hell for this shit.
I cried with you Scott! Just can't help it, despite having watched the Sewol tragedy documentaries many times already. Thank you for watching this. My prayers and well-wishes for Sam.
Please react to the spring day video analysis to see the connection between every scene and the story/tragedy behind it.😢🙏🏻 Thank you. This was also my first time watching the new yorker coverage.
I cried, I screamed I was so mad. I have grandkids the same age it ripped my heart out. The survivors in the parents looked so ragged. They went through unbelievable pain. Unnecessary pain. Also there are other videos out there that will just make your blood boil even more.
It truly is experiencing every emotion possible. And just the unison of cries of relief from the crowd when the announcement came regarding the President was just too much for me to hold back. I really, really tried.
Spring Day has become the universal song of loss: Sewol, young BTS leaving their families to move to Seoul, being apart due to COVID, BTS being in military, any loss. Spring Day is my #1 favorite song ever. It’s heartbreaking.
Please PLEASE watch Rotten Mango's video on the Sewol Ferry tragedy. I see other people recommending the video from Italian Army that explains the music video - and yes, it really is good - but there is so much more to the actual tragedy that was left out of this documentary you watched today. Rotten Mango's is by far the best and most comprehensive that I've seen.
Yes very detailed, but boy is it a hard watch.I had to pause every couple minutes to calm myself down. This incident just makes me seethe with anger, and so terribly distraught at the time. I cannot even begin to imagine what friends and family must even feel. The injustice and corruption of it all is ridiculous.
There are videos explaining the Easter eggs in the video, the pile of clothes, the Omelas sign, Snowpiercer reference, the cinematic choices. This is hard stuff to watch and because the govt was involved with the cause of problem, the boys could not openly condemn it. The president was even impeached I believe. I hope you recover from this ok. There is a reason this song never fell off the charts. ❤
The very, very best video on this tragedy is the one by Rotten Mango! She has investigators who worked with her, and she reveals far more in-depth information than any documentary out there!!!
Thank you for your reaction to this documentary! Now you can respond to the explanation of the song and the BTS video about the Spring Day itself, from the Italian Army. This is the most detailed video, which tells about every moment and symbolism in the BTS clip! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FrT4a_Fw6pE.htmlsi=vlTAkvtli974gT1K
Thank you for watching this documentary. That’s how I felt when I watched it. That’s why I think of all those mostly young souls lost, so many, and those they left behind, every time I hear Spring Day. Being ARMY is not just about loving BTS music but also because I relate to their humanity and altruism in wanting to give comfort and healing to others. That’s why ARMY is family because of our shared sense of injustice and wanting to make the world a better place, like the projects ARMYs do in our local communities. The families are still waiting for justice and I fervently hope they get it. For now we can’t forget.
It's heartbreaking, I know. My emotions were all over the place, mostly anger and sadness. It's horrifying to think this actually happened. The New Yorker is one of the best documentaries of this incident, right behind Rotten Mango. Thank you sharing your heartfelt reaction. ❤❤❤
been there too...the impact of the incident did take a toll on me too. these students desereve to be loved and understood. God bless those who continuously pray for them...
I have watched a documentary that was done by a South Korean team and it has stayed with me for years. It was actually a better documentary and showed more the families and public reactions going on at the time. I don’t know if you have watched it, but the Bulletproof Vibes explanation of the Spring Day video and going through it step by step and explaining the symbolism and the way the song is filled with connections to the tragedy. I would highly recommend that video by Bulletproof Vibes to better understand. Even if you watch it in private, it’s definitely a must see to complete your knowledge.
Thank you. I think one of the most important things BTS has done for the world is to spread Korean culture. With that comes spreading global awareness of this tragedy. It's not just Korea mourning the loss of the passengers on board, it's all of us. 💜 I think it's so essential for reactors who watch Spring Day to also learn about the Ferry tragedy. It's very important, and I'm grateful to you for going out of your way to learn about this horrific tragedy. This kind of thing can happen in any government.
I vividly remember that day, my brother’s online best friend died in the ferry. He told my brother that he was going to a school trip to jeju island and how excited he was about it. The next day I saw my brother wandering around the house stressfully so my second brother asked him if everything was ok and he told him about the incident, a week later my brother friend’s older brother texted him on Facebook and told him about his death, I remember how loud my brother cried and how his breaths disappeared, I remember how my older brother was running with my second brothers body to the ER. If that was my brother reaction, how did the boy’s mother, father and brother must have felt ? He was a pure and loving soul. May his soul rest in peace 🙏🏼🕊️
Thank you for sharing your reaction to this preventable tragedy. Believe it or not, the fallout from this is still ongoing. There is a little less coverage and it seems there are still problems in the aftermath and prosecutions,
I watched this video for the first time and it broke my heart. I couldn't stop crying throughout... I had only watched the spring day explanation video till date which explained the symbolism in the music video. I didn't even know this documentary existed. Thank you Scott. And I am so sorry... I hope the families are doing better now. I know it is a life long loss, and nothing can take the pain away... My thoughts and prayers are with the families and the survivors. Also, lots of prayers for Sam. Hope he feels better soon.
In the song Spring Break, he says “stay there”. This time it’s because we’re on our way to them, we won’t forget them, we will be there someday. I think that’s the hardest part to hear of the song. I guess people love the song though and listen for comfort and hope.
Such a preventable and maddening tragedy. I was worried about that deep diver from the beginning. I’m so sorry to hear he wasn’t able to bear the pain. I remember that one of Baby Jessica’s (Midland, TX 1987) rescuers wasn’t able to handle it either. The pair of the families and those who did try to do the right thing is beyond my imagination. So heartbreaking.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this tragedy. There were some even worse aspects that weren't shown in this video. After the Captain and crew left, a tape recording played on loop telling people to stay where they were, and they perished because of following those directions. The ferry was carrying 3 times the allowed weight for freight...someone was making huge money on that aspect alone. Civilian boats who were trying to help were constantly told to back off, while the Coast Guard did nothing. Now that you know about the disaster, it would be very helpful for you to see how so much of Spring Day MV relates to this tragedy. BTS took a huge risk with their careers in speaking out about this tragedy...people went to jail and were blackballed for speaking out against the government. I think that reaction to the connection between the event and the MV would be even more important than a "Behind the scenes" video. Thank you for your heartfelt reaction.
Really highly recommend the explanation video as well. It points out all the symbolism in the video that you probably missed since you weren’t looking for it the first time you watched it. You can watch the English one and not the Italian one, since the English one focuses on the message of the video and the Italian one focuses more on what happened with the ferry incident, and you already know that.
Thank you so much Scott for featuring video on the Sewol Ferry tragedy... first time to watch this video and as mother i really cried for those 250 students who perished on that tragic day. Now you understand the deeper emotional message of Spring Day and why this is one of our (Army's) favorite...just love this song of BTS 💜 Am looking forward to Part 2 -making of Spring Day. God bless.
thank you for your reaction. the sewol ferry tragedy becomes more and more infuriating and tragic the more details you learn about it. it's hard to believe something so awful was allowed to happen like this, and that those passengers would probably still be alive if it weren't for the corruption and incompetence of the people responsible for this. i just hope the survivors and the victims' families are able to find peace.
I highly recommend that you watch the video from the Italian BTS Army as it explains not just the incident itself, but the corruption encountered, and the indictment of the Korean government on their handling of the situation. BTS's video is one of the few who were able to express an opinion on this as there was a ban and many artists and other protesters were blocked. The fact that they prevented volunteer professional divers and rescue teams from acting was evil.
This happened on my son's birthday. After he told me about it, we offer prayers and candles for those dear children annually. I cannot imagine the pain parents feel.
This is one of those documentaries I come back and watch every year or two…and it’s just as infuriating every single time. So many children died for NO REASON. Thank you for posting this, it’s raw and yes you’re a mess but so is anyone who learns of the disaster. I’m glad you took the time to educate yourself, and I agree with other comments that you should watch the Spring Day analysis video that explains the connections from the song to the disaster. 💜
No need to apologize for your reaction and yes I think any caring human (of which you & Sam are) should feel both terribly angry and sad. I hadn't seen this video before, it was very impactful. As others said below some videos get into more detail about the corruption and coverup aspect and the ARMY made ones explain all the symbolism in the BTS video as well. Thank you for your reaction. We all cried with you!
Rage and heartbreak is the usual response to the Sewol Tragedy. Understanding Spring Day is a bonding experience for armys. Thank you for sharing this. I know it wasn't an easy decision.
I won't air my heated thoughts on this tragedy here, but my heart breaks every time I watch anything related to it. It is very difficult to hear the accounts of the horrific event and decisions that followed, but it helps me remember those young people, their families and the thousands in varied roles that fought for them. Many young people are gone too soon for many varied reasons. And BTS helps us grieve, remember and move forward through Spring Day. Thank you for sharing your reaction.
Ty for sharing your heart with us! No matter how many times I watch that video, I always break down, cry, and get mad all over again! BTS are NOT afraid to speak up for those in need, and bring awareness and justice to life, the world, and events that need to have their bullshit called out on! The President was impeached, and the captain was sent to prison. But still, Justice still doesn't seem to be enough or done! The truth still NEEDs to come out! And the blacklists and cover ups need to stop! It Amazes me that there is corruption in politics and higher up no matter where you live! Ty again! Hope Sam gets better soon! Borahae! Apobangpo! 💜
I watched this documentary too. I was absolutely astounded by how this went down. Absolutely frustrating and insane at the ineptitude of the government and «Korean Coast Guard « I completely understand your reaction to this. There are no words…everyone could have survived…everyone.. breaks my heart. Even worse… the Japanese and US governments had boats nearby ready and willing to help. They repeatedly offered help , the US boat was a armed forces boat with trained soldiers and the Korean government said they would handle it themselves.
I lived through 9/11, not in it but knowing friends and family were there, watching within touching distance but helpless... this felt the same, so many souls struggling, so close, and could have been saved, it will never be over. Hearts are still so broken, we still cry and feel sick thinking on how they slipped away. Thank you for sharing your reaction, it made me go through it again and I am glad to reignite the remembrance flame.
Thanks for being vulnerable as you watched this. I am 🇺🇸also and I felt every ounce of anger & sadness that you did. South Koreans are such a respectful people, and it peels layers off my ❤ to see those kids suffer because they were following the rules. I hope wherever their souls rest today that they know the impact they'ce had on the entire world & how much they are loved and honored every time Spring Day is sung. RM just sang it wirh his military band a few weeks ago while he's serving. It's legacy will live on. love to Sam. i hope he feels bettee soon!
It is something lamentable how the captain left everyone there and saved himself. He was supposed to evacuate everyone first and himself last, but laziness and loyalty to his job left him like a scumbag, leaving human beings adrift. I hope his family has a little peace in their lives.
I believe the US Navy offered to help immediately when the ferry was sinking. The government declined the offer. They said they could handle the rescue themselves. Unbelievable!!!
The civilian divers must have SEVERE PTSD. I’m sure the government abandoned them too. The compassion of the divers is so strong. God bless them, and may they have peace.
Thank you for watching this. And sharing your reaction. Spring Day and the video are one of the 1st reasons I have so much respect for BTS. There are so many references in the video that mean so much. Be gentle with your heart. ❤
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt reaction. It means so much. This tragedy is so awful any way you look at it. But most especially because it shouldn't have happened. Bless all of those families, moms and dad, grandparents, etc and all of the friends. Bless them. 💔
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FrT4a_Fw6pE.htmlsi=hEIM8lBdXSMqYQq- There are videos that explain every litteleprop of Spring Day in reference form to this disaster. Many Artisst have recorded this song. and It is still #1 in South Korea. They have memorial services every year. The pile of clothes and shoes on the beach get me every time in the video.
Thanks for sharing. I heard about the tragedy and felt so bad. Now with these images it feels worse and sad But it shows why the Korean citizens are still suffering for this. They will never forget.
There was an American search and rescue ship nearby that had just finished a training course. They offered several times to help but were told that they weren't needed by gov't officials. The Korean Coast Guard were disbanded at that time also.
This video shows only a little of what actually happened, I'm in another country and I get so angry about this sinking, I can't imagine what the citizen's and family are going through. I believe that the boy who rung for help at the beginning, was the same boy who got people off the boat but lost his life helping. He was the true hero. RIP, you will be remembered from all over the world.
there's no way for me to look at these sewol clips without getting goosebumps and i will never not cry when watching those because the students were there inside. and we are witnessing them drown
The saddest part is that there were American vessels near by that offered help, with the proper equipment and enough manpower, waited on stand by, but were told they were not needed. Instead, so many lives were lost. The SK gvmnt failed on so many levels. My heart still hurts to watch it. No matter how many times, i still cry.
I remember watching this in real time as it happened and like all of us wondering why no one was helping them. The wailing of the parents who were on the docks wailing in absolute gut wrenching pain haunts me as a mum of 3 myself I can’t imagine being in their place. Every time I see this it breaks my heart into pieces, the Captain makes my blood boil every time his face, refusing to go back to the ship even when being ordered to, feeling sorry for himself when sentenced grrrrr. But this is part of the reason I love Spring Day what BTS and the producers of the video did was an amazing tribute that I don’t think anyone apart from the makers of this video did and made it about the victims. 💔😢💔
Thank you so much for your reaction. This was a horrific event. I apologize that I can’t watch your entire video. It makes me so sad. My heart still goes out to those families. I also want to give a huge thank you to BTS for their tribute.
@@HPReact That is why the whole situation is so sad. In South Korea children are taught to listen to authority no matter what. I can't imagine what those kids were thinking holding back their instincts and fears waiting for instructions. While I admire the respect they have for their elders and authority I think after this tragedy they need to teach them differently to prevent future disasters. Let's hope they truly never forget this.
This documentary barely scratches the surface of what happened like the egos of government leaders denying aid from other countries and even working against the Korean civilian divers that came to help. Ego and "face" was more important than the lives on that boat. The documentary also doesn't fully show the angst and grievances of families during the sinking, retrieval of bodies, and the aftermath. I highly recommend checking out other documentaries. Personally, it was one of those poignant moments like 9/11 where I remember exactly where I was when news of this broke.
Brick Immortar did a really in-depth 2 part coverage of the Sewol and why it happened.I highly recommend a watch as it goes into the more technical aspects as well as adding some humanistic elements. You could hear the anger in his voice as he narrated it. I still cry whenever I hear the song.
Thank you, Scott, for watching this documentary. It is all the emotions--anger, sadness, bafflement, rage, sorrow. @5:15 the question from the President's (of Korea) office about the live feed-- is there video? President's office want to see for themselves what the situation was. Subordinates in the coast guard and the government were waiting for the higher--ups to give direction. Students and teachers followed directions to stay where they were, waiting to be told what to do next. Spring Day came out in February 2017 in the midst of the large protests (Yellow Ribbon Campaign) and government crackdowns, and before President Park's removal (March 10, 2017). Connections: Bong Joon-ho's movie, Snowpiercer (mentioned in lyrics, train setting in MV) Ursula Le Guin's shortstory, "Those Who Walk Away From Omelas" (name of the motel in MV) The song, "You Never Walk Alone" from the musical, Carousel (written on the rusty carousel with the yellow ribbons in the MV) In Snowpiercer and Omelas, it is children who pay the price for society.
I watched every bit of footage on the coverage of the sinking, the investigation into the corruption, the information collected why the ferry sunk, the family interviews, the protests, the governments lies and the cover-up, and about everything that happened. Thanks for watching this. Now you know why BTS has written so many songs with the theme "Love Yourself". And songs about giving children and students the ability to make their own choices. The fact that their culture so deeply ingrained in the children's minds to follow their teachers and their authorities. They could not defy what they knew to be true. That girl on the video even said it...the only ones who were saved from some other tragedy were the ones who could think independently and defy authorities if their life was at risk and save themselves. But she couldn't save herself! Now you know one reason BTS became so popular. They freed the youth to think for themselves. BTS is really responsible for that dynamic cultural shift in thinking. Yes. It's so sad. Especially when you watch the videos on the retrieved cell phones. How scared they all were! How frozen they were to take action for themselves even though they knew they were going to die. So many children made "goodbye" to family videos. Torturous to watch those. Just imagine how tortuous it was to retrieve bodies. That diver who killed himself decided to escape the pain and torture of his everyday dreams and rememberances! No one should judge him for his decision! No one!
30:20 The part they did not show you is video of the parents and families that gathered at the docks and the beach where they dropped their children and where rescue boats were birthing from. The parents were screaming their children's names. Pleading for information. Suitcases and tons of clothes were washing up on the beach as it went into the night and the next day. They were finding cellphones here and there. The gov finally told the families to gather at some hanger and they would let them know. I think it is the amount of families that showed up that put fear in the gov as to how many people died and that they were majority children. Entire classes were killed. They still said nothing to the families for a long time before they finally admitted the ship sunk and all they were not likely to find survivors. Buldozers where quickly rushing to clear the kids shoes and clothing away at night and early morning creating this 3-4 story high mound of clothes. This is what you see in BTS Spring Day. An artist did recreate the scene of clothing that was eventually piled in a hanger. It was a sign of the souls that existed. For BTS, in Spring Day, it connected to voice that was unable to speak for themselves. So many scenes in Spring Day MV relates. Jin at the bottom of the steps staying in place like the kids who stayed like they were told. The washing machines with the reflection of Jin's face in it, is like seeing the face of a person in window on the ship as it sank. The few surviving children tried to speak, but the government told them to shut up. Then they posted pictures of the empty classrooms. Spring Day song and MV spoke volumes for those who were not allowed to speak. The mothers and fathers beside themselves screaming out to the ocean and met with clothing of children washing ashore with hundreds of empty life vests. Even one scene where they got some girl out of the water who they possibly could have saved, but they didn't know how to clear the water out and restart her breathing. She got bluer and bluer as they really did nothing properly. Sadly, S.Korea is full of people put in positions because they are relatives or political friends, etc and have zero knowhow. There should always be a travel advisory for S.Korea.
I was in Korea on holiday when this happened. The way it was handles by both the media and the government was disgusting. A few years later I was back again - I have a very vivid memory to this day of standing by the side of the road in Seoul in the pouring rain, watching family members and friends of those who lost their lives, marching, demanding answers to why their children had to die. I cried like a baby that day - there was nothing I could do but offer my support. You need to understand why those children stayed where they were - it’s a cultural thing - the younger raised to respect their elders and the decisions they make sometimes to their detriment. It was a tragedy that happened basically out of greed by the ferry owners. There is a video from Italian ARMY, that explains a bit more about reasons the ferry sunk. I am glad you took the time to watch this - shattering as it is, it does make you appreciate Spring Day that much more. 💜
Korea has this strict hierachy system based on age where younger people are seen to be less important, even their lives are considered less important. When the adults flee, they are acting based on this social construct that it is OK for older people to be saved and younger sacrificed. It is very alien to the rest of the world which operate on the basis of "women and children" first. When the adults say "stay put", the kids obey even though death is at the door, because they are conditioned to do that. Even the parents asked their kids to obey the adults... The few that survived are those that chose to disobey. Of course the sinking of the ships has to do with corruption but many need not die if they dont have that social construct in place. They could have get to top deck and jumped into the water. They have life vests on and it wasnt freezing freezing (jeju has mild weather) and they would have survived. But they stayed put and that was the undoing. The Coast guard oredred the fishing boats who came to help to stay away because they dont want anybody to see the mess which has a lot to do with corruption. BTS in some of their songs have commented on this hierachy and are teaching the young to fight it (BTS were hated ny parents back then). Even for Spring Day they cannot mention any specifics because they will most certainly get into trouble for going against the establishment. Park was impeached but she was a convenient scapegoat because the corruption exist throughout all levels of the government. The ship fit was not fit to sail but the owners bribed government officials to allow them to. You must bring Sam to watch the videos which explain the symbolisms used in the MV with the actual incident. Because now you are only learning about the incident lacking the genius of the MV vis a vis the incident. There is a kdrama with a zombie apocalyse and students were trapped in a school building and no help came and one of the students said "do not expect help to come, our lives are not important" (adults were being rescued first) also underscore this hierachy.