I am saddened, along with the world, over the unnecessary tragedy in Korea. The sinking of a ferry full of high school students at the very beginning of their lives is devastating. I cannot image the grief felt by their parents; it is impossible to imagine how a simple school class trip can end in such tragedy. Here, too, in the United States, we recently witnessed and felt the loss of students who went out to see a potential college and ended up in a horrific accident in California.

I have been close to Koreans my entire career; often, when we are out for a lavish dinner or enjoying a cultural event, they tell me, “You are like a Korean.” So for me, these children are close to home. I see them when I travel to Seoul and when I recently took a trip for a golf weekend on Jeju Island. They, too, were just going to an island for a little trip, to learn something new and to experience some of their culture they may not have known before.

We lost some really good kids, the future both in Korea and here in the United States. I grieve for them and only hope those following them pick up their dreams and try to make them a reality for those we lost.

— Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO