December 15, 1970, was a terrible day in South Korea. The Asian country lost 362 of its citizens to a boat mishap. The South Korean ferryboat known as Namyoung, sailed out of Busan River, in Seogwipo-si, on December 12, 1970. It had on board, 338 passengers and crew members, heading towards Seongsampo Port on Jeju Island. The boat, according to the report, sank about 28 nautical miles (approximately 45 kilometres) away from Yeosu and Jeollanam.
The sinking of the ferryboat was blamed on overloading. It was said to have 150 crates of tangerines on one side, which made it tilted. The entire cargo capacity of Namyoung was 150 tons. But as at the time it sank, it had 500 tons! The ancient wisdom states: “Greed fills the boat, but the sea claims the excess.” That was the fate Namyoung suffered. The sea ate up 326 of its passengers and the cargo therein because, as the elders are wont to say: “A boat that carries too much sinks under its own weight!”
The death that…