South Korean Courts Jail 36 Years Captain of Capsized Ferry

GWANGJU – Accused of having abandoned more than 300 passengers to their doom, the captain of the South Korean ferry that sank in April south of the peninsula was sentenced Tuesday to 36 years in prison.

After a marathon trial of five months has seen the scroll bar to the damning testimonies of survivors, Lee Joon-Seok, 69, was convicted of several serious breaches of his duties as an officer.

Three professional judges of the court of Gwangju however, have not followed the indictment of the prosecutor, who had requested the death penalty for “aggravated homicide by negligence”.

“It has not been possible to conclude that the accused (…) knew that the victims would die because of their actions, or that they intended to kill,” said the judges. “As a result, the leaders (of the indictment) murder are rejected.”

Of the 476 passengers on the Sinking of the MV Sewol, 304 were killed, including 250 students from the same institution.

Some families present at the final hearing left broke their anger with the understanding that the captain escaped the death penalty – even if it has not been applied since 1997.

“Where is the justice?”, Launched a woman judges. “This is unfair. Who thinks of the lives of our children? They (the accused) deserve more than death, “cried another.

The captain of the ferry had hurriedly left the ship after the wreck occurred April 16 off the southern tip of the Korean peninsula while hundreds of people were trapped.

During the discussion, Captain Lee, whose flight on a ship rescue was filmed, said he “deserved” the death penalty but said he did not intend to sacrifice the lives of passengers .

“I was too freaked out, I was unable to do anything, he has argued. I have not taken appropriate action, which led to the loss of many precious lives. ”

Against three other officers belonging to the crew, and for which the prosecution had sought the life imprisonment, the court has also been more lenient in imposing sentences of between 15 and 30 years.