Escaping the death penalty, South Korea ferry captain jailed for 36 years

The chief engineer was also sentenced to 30 years in prison while 13 other crew members were jailed for up to 20 years for the disaster.

17:54 11 November 2014

Captain Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the South Korean ferry that sank earlier this year resulting to the death of more than 300 people, has escaped death penalty. However, he was sentenced 36 years in prison.

The court said that he was professionally negligent and abandoned his passengers during the disaster in April last year. Lee has since apologised saying that he did not know that his actions would lead to many deaths.

The chief engineer was also charged and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 13 more crew members got up to 20 years.

Prosecutors and the crew members are given one week to appeal.

The Sewol’s sinking in April led to widespread grief and national soul-searching. Authorities blamed overloaded cargo, improper storage, untimely rescue efforts and the corruption of ship’s owners.

Nearly seven months after the sinking, nine people are still missing. Min Dong-im, 36, the wife of a missing teacher, said at a televised news conference: "As our loved ones remain trapped in the cold waters, this decision is unbearably painful for us. But we requested that the search operations be stopped."