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S. Korea ferry boat captain acquitted on murder charges, guilty of abandonment

Gwangju, South Korea (CNN) — Lee Joon-seok, the captain widely derided by families for leaping to safety while the hundreds of people remained inside the ...
ferryboat captain

Gwangju, South Korea (CNN) — Lee Joon-seok, the captain widely derided by families for leaping to safety while the hundreds of people remained inside the sinking South Korean ferry, was sentenced Tuesday to 36 years in jail.

Although he was acquitted of murder, Lee was found guilty of violating “seamen’s law” and abandonment causing death and injury.

The sentence was the culmination of a five-month trial. A panel of three judges delivered the verdict and the sentence for Lee, who was accused of multiple charges including negligence, abandonment, and murder, for his conduct on the Sewol ferry that sunk on April 16.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Lee, alleging that he did not use the available equipment such as life rafts, life vests and announcements to evacuate the passengers.

Park Gi-ho, the ferry’s chief engineer was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 30 years. The remaining 13 crew members were sentenced five to 20 years.

The verdict was met with outrage by families of the victim, who gathered outside court asking for an appeal and calling for the death penalty for the crew members.

The South Korean government said it may appeal the verdicts.

“There were differences in opinion in many aspects,” said lead prosecutor Park Jae-uck. “It is our position to appeal so that we can ask for another judgment.”

Both the prosecution and the defense have seven days to formally ask for an appeal.

More than 300 people died after the ferry capsized on the southwestern coast of South Korea in April. Almost 250 of them were suburban high school students on their way to a field trip.

Nine people remain missing. The government ended the underwater search on Tuesday after searching for about seven months.

“Conditions of the search has reached dangerous situation, for instance like the collapse of compartments within the ferry,” said Lee Ju-young, the South Korean Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. “As the winter season approaches, conditions in the sea are deteriorating.

He said the chances of the finding the last victims were waning and that the sea conditions could cause casualties.

The ferry will be sealed, but the decision on a salvage operation will be made after considering various conditions and consulting with the families and experts.

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