The captain of the ferry Sewol has been sentenced to 36 years in prison. Maritime trade union Nautilus’ general secretary has said to be appalled at the severity of the sentence.
The Sewol sank in April off the South-Korean coast with the loss of more than 300 lives, mostly school children.
Sentence
Although acquitted of homicide, captain Lee Joon-Seok now faces 36 years in prison after a five month trial. Prosecutors had called for the death penalty. Captain Lee was found guilty of violating ‘seamen’s law’ and abandonment causing death and injury.
Park Gi-ho, the ferry’s chief engineer, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to thirty years. The remaining thirteen crew members — including the chief officer and second mate — were sentenced between five
