An arrest warrant has been issued for the captain of the ferry that sank off the coast of South Korea, an accident that killed 28 people and left nearly 270 missing.

The tragedy has broken the hearts of the parents and relatives of the school kids. As follow-up reports reveal more details of the ferry crew's handling of the emergency, public anger has poured in.

Questions have arisen over why, in a highly modernized country, the shipping safety and emergency response measures were not as reliable as people had imagined.

People are wondering whether the ferry violated navigating rules by trying to take a short cut, whether a sharp turn had caused the cargo onboard to move and tilted the ship and whether it is a crime for the captain to leave other people behind and flee for his own life.

The accident is a test of South Korea's modernization. The country has a world-leading shipping industry. The nation's living standards also rank among the world's most developed countries. But combining these factors, it is hard to believe hundreds of students still died in an accident that did not have to result in so many deaths.

Reports said the students, despite wearing life jackets, were ordered to stay in their rooms after the ship began to tilt, therefore losing the precious chance to escape. The nation could not accept this fact.

All modernization should be centered on the people, especially protecting people's lives. Disasters come as surprises, and in various forms. Resolute and reasonable responses are based on solid preparation that summons the best resources at hand.

The economic and social progress of South Korea is more advanced than that of China. The accident should also serve as a grim lesson for the Chinese people.

There is far more maritime transport and shipping traffic along the Chinese coast. Chinese shipping authorities and operators must learn from the criticism in South Korea and rethink their own safety preparedness.

The Chinese government may feel lucky that the Chinese people have shown more restraint after major disasters compared with the South Korean people, who threw water bottles at their prime minister and raised the sharpest questions against the authorities after the accident.

The South Korean disaster is a mirror. It reflects the limits and fragility of modern society.

Major disasters that may cause huge casualties are persistent challenges for modern society.

China's search and rescue capability are improving. But improvements to organizational capability should go beyond mere hardware upgrades.