Korea ferry captain sentenced to 36 years over sinking
By Bloomberg
The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank in April was sentenced to 36 years in prison for not doing enough to save passengers in the country’s worst maritime disaster in more than four decades.
Captain Lee Joon Seok, 69, was found guilty of criminal negligence resulting in death. Judge Lim Joung Youb said Lee could have saved many more lives had he tried to evacuate the passengers before abandoning ship. Most of the victims were high school students on a class trip and only 172 of the 476 people on board survived the April 16 sinking.
Prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Lee on Oct. 27, saying he deliberately avoided issuing an evacuation order because he was worried the passengers would hamper his escape. Lee earlier denied the homicide charge, which was also rejected by the court today. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he would appeal the verdict.
The trial at Gwangju District Court, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) south of Seoul, has riveted a nation still reeling from the tragedy that fueled public anger at President Park Geun Hye over her handling of the disaster.
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