Complex adaptive systems approach to sewol ferry disaster in Korea

This paper aims to introduce the concept and characteristics of natech disaster (natural hazards triggered technological disaster) and to explore the policy issues in complex disaster management in Korea. This research examines the issues of natech complex disaster through analysis of Sewol ferry disaster. Various variables of developing the risk communication are derived using bow-tie model, and the detailed causes are derived using ABM (Agent -based model). Therefore, this study is to apply the catastrophe based approach for improving effective holistic approaches to disaster and to investigate the changing factor analysis of the risk communication with dynamic characteristics using the model of complex adaptive systems. Based on the results of analyzes, this research concludes with a few policy suggestions.
First, the natech complex disaster management needs to be approached in complex adaptive perspective. Second, by psychological, social network analysis, and linking reaction after the disaster, we could cope with the physical disaster similar in the future. Thus, the concepts of hazard and vulnerability cannot be defined independently of one another. Third, the perception of vulnerability as a “psychological event” implies that disaster has a point of beginning and an end.
Therefore, determines vulnerability management actions as prevention or mitigation (before), emergency response (during) and long-term rehabilitation and development (after), which together form part of the vulnerability management cycle.
In conclusion, complex adaptive systems approach to the vulnerability could cause us to change our focus on preparing for the impact of events, and perhaps it should induce us to widen our horizon concerning the dynamics and implications of the natech disaster.