South Korean Ferry Captain Denies Neglecting Duty

[footballfina]

SEOUL—A lawyer for the captain of the capsized South Korean ferry told an emotional courtroom on Tuesday that his client hadn't neglected his duty on the doomed ship, as the trial for the surviving crew from April's disaster began.

 

Capt. Lee Jun-seok and three other senior crew members face charges of "homicide through willful negligence" after they allegedly fled the ship and left hundreds of people to sink with the vessel. If convicted, they could face the death penalty. Eleven other crew members have been indicted on charges of criminal negligence, with possible lengthy jail terms if convicted.

 

The crew members were led into a packed courtroom in the southern city of Gwangju with their arms tied to their waists with ropes. As several families of victims watched and some wept, someone in the courtroom shouted "murderer," according to local media reports.

 

 

During the hearing, 11 crew members, including the captain, entered pleas of not guilty. The other four will enter pleas at a hearing scheduled for June 17. Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-eok said a heavy legal penalty was "the first step" toward a safer country.

 

In the courtroom, Capt. Lee's attorney said his client carried out appropriate emergency measures and was rescued only after the ship had tilted too far over.

 

"It wasn't as if he had a vendetta against the students and other victims, and so it goes against common sense and other circumstances that he escaped after willfully neglecting the duty of rescue," the attorney said, according to reports.

 

The captain, who was filling in for the ship's regular captain, had no power to stop the cargo overloads that contributed to the disaster, the attorney added.

 

 

The Sewol, a 6,825-ton ferry, capsized on April 16 off the country's southwestern coast while on a routine trip from Incheon, a port near Seoul, to resort island Jeju with more than 476 passengers and crew on board. Prosecutors have said cargo overload and balance-altering structural changes to the vessel were among the disaster's main causes.

 

But the main charges against the crew are for leaving the sinking vessel while 300 others, most of them high-school students, were still on board. The confirmed death toll from the ferry disaster as of Tuesday afternoon stood at 292. Divers continue to search for the final dozen missing people, who are presumed dead.

 

In the tragedy's aftermath, video clips of the crew's escape emerged, fueling public outrage. While a few employees remained on board to help passengers, the surviving crew members were among the first to flee to safety, prosecutors say. Capt. Lee was shown leaving the ship in his underpants. Rescued passengers have said they were told to stay inside their cabins.

 

Days after the tragedy, South Korean President Park Geun-hye criticized the crew, calling their actions "tantamount to murder." The crew apologized on national television, but their testimonies have conflicted with each other, prosecutors have said. The impact of public anger and Ms. Park's remarks remains unclear, amid some concerns about their influence on the trial process.

 

Kang Wu-ye, a criminal-law professor at the Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said that judges in the past have often given harsher sentences in highly publicized cases but added that the charges in the latest case didn't appear excessive.

 

The maximum penalty for homicide is death in South Korea, but no executions have occurred since the government imposed a moratorium in early 1998.

 

Separately, Ms. Park on Tuesday nominated a former newspaper journalist as the country's new prime minister as she shuffles an administration still seeking to recover from criticism of its handling of the ferry disaster.

 

Ms. Park named Moon Chang-keuk, 65, a former chief editorial writer at the JongAng Ilbo, one of the country's biggest newspapers, to succeed Chung Hong-won, the presidential office said. Mr. Chung offered in April to resign over what was widely perceived to be a botched rescue effort.

 

Ms. Park also selected Lee Byung-kee, 67, ambassador to Japan, to lead the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's spy agency. Its director resigned in May in the wake of a series of scandals.

[Symphonyâ„¢]

Yeah, not telling 100's of people on a ship that it's sinking and leaving them to die is not neglect at all, it's mass murder. 

[Meth Krystal]

they need to quit releasing bullshit

what killed the passengers traces back to roots that involve the trash president and the big corps of Korea

if they're going to think about slamming the death penalty on a man who was in charge of a illegally janked up ship

then I expect the worst for the future of Korea and their justice system

[Grape Soda]

i have no words....he doesnt deserve the easy way out....he should rot in jail for life

[Vividemix3]

No, he deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He didn't just leave one or three people to die, he left hundreds man. Fucking hundreds. He needs to face the consequences of his actions.

[bananabrows]

i dont think he'll get death penalty but send him to jail already please

 

and can park geun hye resign already or 

[mika613]

I  hope he at least gets sent to jail

[sgtninjago]

Bull fucking shit

[Elcamino]

they need to quit releasing bullshit

what killed the passengers traces back to roots that involve the trash president and the big corps of Korea

if they're going to think about slamming the death penalty on a man who was in charge of a illegally janked up ship

then I expect the worst for the future of Korea and their justice system

no need,korean justice is already corrupted...if you have money or connection and a good lawyer,you can get away with anything (especially if you have connection with a politician)

[heethighs]

Sad to see the outcome of this tragedy. How the parents must be feeling right now......