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Ferry captain may be charged with homicide

April 22, 2014

Crewmembers of the sunken ferry Sewol, including the chief engineer, two chief mates and a second mate, stand in front of reporters after being questioned during a judge’s review of prosecutors’ request for arrest warrants for abandoning passengers, at the Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Court, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

By Kim Tae-gyu

The prosecution said Tuesday it is considering filing negligent homicide charges against Captain Lee Joon-seok and two other crewmembers of the sunken ferry Sewol.

The captain, a third mate and helmsman were arrested last week, accused of negligence of duty and violation of the Maritime Law. They were among the first to be rescued, failing to fulfill their obligation of evacuating passengers first from the sinking ship on April 16.

“We cannot say definitely what charges will be filed against Lee and his crewmembers before we complete our investigation. But we are considering charges of negligence against them,” said a prosecutor from a joint investigation team.

Lee was not on the bridge at the time of the incident but arrived in the steering room shortly after with other crewmembers. While instructing passengers to stay in the cabin, he left the ship without taking proper measures to save passengers.

If he faces charges of “homicide out of willful negligence” and is found guilty, his punishment will be much stronger than initially predicted.

Three mates and a chief engineer were also placed in custody Tuesday, bringing the total number of arrested to seven.

Meanwhile, divers continued to recover bodies from the capsized vessel, with the death toll reaching 121 as of 11 p.m. while 181 are still unaccounted for. The number of those rescued remained unchanged at 174.

The pace of work quickened as rescuers gained access to the third and fourth decks of the vessel, where many of the passengers, mostly students from Danwon High School in Ansan, had gathered.

The weather was favorable and currents were weak thanks to a neap tide. To date, divers have struggled with powerful currents and near-zero visibility in the murky waters.

But fast-moving currents are expected to return in the next few days. Bad weather is also forecast this weekend.

As the rescue work has failed to find any survivors in the seventh day after the tragedy, deepening despair spread among the relatives of the missing. Calls to begin salvaging the ship using giant floating cranes were made.

Some experts pointed out that the preparations to hoist the wreck, estimated to weigh some 10,000 tons, should start immediately. Otherwise, they warned that the operation might take months if the vessel becomes stuck on the seabed.

The 6,825-ton ferry was carrying some 2,000 tons of freight and is also expected to have taken on more than 1,000 tons of sea waters.

Parents of rescued students of criticized the focus of local media and asked for more efforts to be made to search for survivors.

“What is the press doing now? We do not hear any voices requesting brisk rescue work,” they said in an announcement to people and media outlets. “The government has to take advantage of all resources available in order to find more survivors.”

Chonghaejin Marine, the operator of the 20-year-old Sewol, will also have its license revoked under the relevant clause of the Maritime Law.

The company is accused of having violated many regulations and safety guidelines while operating two large-sized ferries including the Sewol on the lucrative Incheon to Jeju route.

“As we are focusing on the search and rescue work, the deprival of Chonghaejin’s license will be discussed next month after hearing its explanations,” said an official of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Prosecutors have started tracking financial irregularities of the family that owns Chonghaejin in accumulating assets, which are estimated to be more than 200 billion won.