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Ferry captain indicted on murder charge

May 15, 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. (Yonhap)

By Kim Da-ye

Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol, and three other crewmen were indicted on murder charges Thursday for abandoning their vessel without any attempt to evacuate passengers.

The prosecution said the crewmembers failed to take measures to save the passengers, although they knew that their negligence would lead to the deaths of those still on board.

The three crewmen facing murder charges are the first and second mates and the chief engineer. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

The prosecution also indicted 11 other low-ranking crewmembers for negligence.

The 15 crewmembers made no efforts to save passengers from the sinking ferry, prosecutors said. None of them made an announcement directing passengers to evacuate. They, instead, ordered a steward to tell passengers to stay where they were and wait. As of Friday, 281 were confirmed dead and 23 were still missing.

Five charges were brought against Lee, 69. They include murder, attempted murder, negligence and violations of the Rescue and Aid at Sea and on River Act and the Seamen Act.

The 11 crewmembers were indicted for causing deaths and injuries, and violating the Rescue and Aid at Sea and on River Act.

The Korean criminal code treats “murder by not taking certain actions” and “murder by taking certain actions,” such as stabbing a person to death, as the same. Under the criminal code, those convicted of murder are given the death penalty, life sentence or a prison term of five years or more.

The indicted will be tried in Gwangju District Court.

In the meantime, the Evangelical Baptist Church, better known as the Salvation Sect led by Yoo Byung-eun, the Sewol owner, issued a statement to denounce the Coast Guard and Cheong Wa Dae Thursday.

The cult’s followers said that the Coast Guard is the most responsible for the tragedy, having failed to rescue some 300 people.

The prosecution’s indictment revealed details of how the 15 crewmembers abandoned ship.

At 8:30 a.m. on April 16, the ferry made a sharp turn, causing the loosely secured cargo to shift and the vessel to list.

The captain, the chief engineer, identified as Park, and several crewmembers gathered on the bridge and decided to evacuate.

Park and six other engineers got on the first rescue boat at 9:36 a.m., having navigated their way through a route they knew well. On their way out, they saw two members of the cooking staff injured, but ignored them. Those two crewmembers are still missing.

The captain and seven other crewmembers evacuated in the next rescue boat at 9:48 a.m.

They initially ordered a steward, identified as Kang, to make an announcement that passengers should wait where they were. Before they abandoned the vessel, they did not issue any new orders.

Instead, they changed into casual clothes, so that they couldn’t be recognized, according to the prosecution. Unaware of the captain leaving, Kang repeated the announcement.

The crewmembers allegedly told the prosecution that they only thought about their own survival.