The Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance to investigate last year’s sinking of the Sewol ferry, touching off protests from the opposition party and family members of the victims, citing its lack of independence.

The ordinance gave legal grounds for the special investigative committee tasked with uncovering the causes behind the sinking of the 6,825-ton vessel that left more than 300 people dead. It also specifies the setup of the committee, such as its subcommittees and their respective roles.

The ordinance will come into effect after receiving President Park Geun-hye’s approval.

The controversial ordinance has raised eyebrows among its opponents, namely the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy and families of Sewol victims.

Under the ordinance, government officials will participate as key members of the committee, which the opposition and the bereaved families suspect is the government’s attempt to dictate the overall direction of the investigation.

Critics of the ordinance point out that government officials should not play a prominent role in the probe when the network of corruption between maritime safety regulators and Sewol operators is pinpointed as one of the causes behind the ship’s sinking. Subsequent investigations into the ferry’s founder ascertained that the vessel had been carrying more cargo and less ballast water than regulated by law.

“It is very regretful that the government decided to push ahead (with the ordinance) despite protests by the bereaved families, special investigative committee, and the opposition. The president and the government are responsible for all incidents that occur due to this decision,” said NPAD chief Rep. Moon Jae-in at a party supreme council meeting.

He added that the current ordinance “hampers any attempts to uncover the truth behind Sewol’s sinking,” and vowed to demand the ruling Saenuri Party join the NPAD’s calls to revise the ordinance.

But Yoo Kyung-keun, who represents the families of Sewol victims, also blamed the opposition for failing to stop the ordinance from being passed. He told reporters that families cannot accept it and will “resist the government decision to the end.”

Another source of complaint is the high percentage of civil servants in the 90-member investigative committee. Of the 85 nonpermanent members, 36 are government officials.

The special investigative committee on Sewol held a press conference in the afternoon and said it will immediately demand a revision to the ordinance. Its leader Lee Seok-tae said the committee will not be held back by the ordinance and would set up its own rules to conduct the probe.

In one of South Korea’s worst maritime disasters ever, the ferry sank off the southwest coast on April 16, 2014, and left 304 people dead or missing. Most of its victims were students from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, headed toward the resort island of Jejudo.

The incident sparked immense criticism of the government after it was revealed that its botched initial rescue operation failed to rescue most of the passengers onboard, although the ship lay on its side for over an hour before capsizing completely.

Last month, the government confirmed the salvage plans for the sunken ship. The operation, expected to cost at least 1,000 billion won ($92.5 million), is expected to commence as early as September.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)