Two years have passed since the sinking of the Sewol ferry left 304 dead or missing, but the special committee investigating the tragedy has covered little ground due to lack of time and cooperation from the government and the ruling party.

With the government expected to cut funding after June, it is unclear whether the committee will be able to carry out its founding purposes of pinpointing and punishing those responsible for the tragedy.

One of the worst maritime disasters in Korean history divulged the connection of corruption between the government and civil sector. It also revealed grossly incompetent rescue operations, which failed to save hundreds of passengers -- most of whom were high school students -- as the 6,825-ton vessel tilted for hours before sinking.

Those deemed primarily responsible for the disaster -- such as captain Lee Joon-seok and rescue operators from the now-defunct Korea Coast Guard -- have been prosecuted.

But the committee has been seeking to also investigate officials of the then-ship‘s operator Cheonghaejin Marine Co., other high-ranking officials of the KCG, ship inspecting organization Korean Register of Shipping and other bodies and individuals possibly connected to Sewol for misdeeds that was connected to the incident.

During the committee’s hearing held last month, testimonies indicated insufficient approval process for Sewol along with possibility that the communication records during the rescue operation had been manipulated.

The committee consists of 17 members, five recommended by the ruling party, five by the opposition, two by the Supreme Court, two by the Korea Bar Association and three by the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

But the committee has hit a number of obstacles in less than a year of operation, most notably suspected sabotage by a ruling Saenuri Party-nominated member.

In November 2015, a Maritime Ministry document on guidelines for the ruling party-nominated members was unearthed. It said that the members should consistently supervise the committee’s decision making process, and if necessary, offer to resign en mass.

“Ruling party members should publicly request the minutes of the meeting, and should announce a statement denouncing an abnormal, biased operation of the committee if needed,” it said.

The manual also specified that if the probe began to point to President Park Geun-hye, Saenuri-linked members should resign and hold a press conference.

Around 10:30 a.m. on the day of the accident, Park had called the now defunct Korea Coast Guard and urged officials to make sure that not one person gets left behind. But the president’s vague whereabouts for the next seven hours have consistently aroused debate and controversy over where she was during the nation’s darkest hours.

Opposition lawmakers grilled the Maritime Ministry on the document on Nov. 20 during a parliamentary budget committee, saying the guideline hampers an independent operation of the committee, as the ministry is one of main subjects of the committee’s inquiries for being in charge of overall safety on the sea. The ruling party responded by accusing the opposition of being politically motivated.

The controversy over the committee has also spilled over to its operation last summer, upon news reports taking issue with the high salaries of the committee members and their budgetary usage. The committee members have denied the accusations saying the spending is in accordance with regulations.

Meanwhile, Park Ju-min, the legal representative for the bereaved families of Sewol victims, has been raising questions on whether the government actually had the will to unearth the truth behind the accident.

“If the government indeed was willing (to cooperate) I think it would have been more active in allocating budget or manpower for the committee,” Park said in a radio interview with Traffic Broadcasting System.

He contended that the government interpreted the Sewol special bill in a way that gave the committee the shortest time possible for investigation.

The operation period for the committee had been a topic of controversy; the bill on conducting a special probe stipulates that the committee can be sustained for up to a year after its creation. It can also be extended for another six months if necessary.

The bill was enacted in January 2015, the committee members were officially appointed in March and the budget was allocated in August of that year.

While the special committee members have argued that it should remain intact at least until the end of 2016, the government-designated deadline is in June.

Opposition and legal representatives of the victims’ families argue this might make it impossible for the committee to probe the Sewol itself, the salvage operation for which is scheduled for July.

Salvaging the sunken ship has been deemed crucial by both the committee and the bereaved families for in-depth investigation of the vessel and hopes of recovering nine bodies of those who still remain missing.

Park Ju-min, who is now a lawmaker-elect for The Minjoo Party of Korea, said that the salvage operation should be transparent in order to prevent further dispute and suspicions concerning the government’s resolve to find the truth about the Sewol tragedy.

The authority of the special committee had also been disputed by the ruling and opposition parties.

The bereaved families have called for the committee’s rights to conduct an independent investigation and indict suspects. These clauses have been dropped after opposition by the Saenuri Party. The Saenuri Party instead offered a special prosecution probe upon request of the committee.

But the request for the special probe in February remains pending at the National Assembly with the Saenuri Party’s opposition.

Despite the muddled past of the committee, the general election hints at changing tides with Saenuri losing majority and several candidates who have been favorable toward the committee being elected.

Park Ju-min has vowed to push for a revision of the Sewol bill. He stressed that the bill should clarify the committee’s investigative rights -- such as probing the ship -- along with expanding the operational period and budget.

In addition to Park, former crime psychologist Pyo Chang-won -- a consultant for the committee -- won a parliament seat for the main opposition Minjoo Party. Rep. You Sung-yop -- the leader of the Minjoo Party’s special committee on Sewol -- had also retained his seat.

The bereaved families of the victims and survivors have filed civil lawsuits against the government and the ship operator for compensation as part of their move to seek for further investigation. The trials are ongoing.

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