Ferry captain, 2 crew arrested
Print Edition
THE captain of the ferry that sank off South Korea, leaving more than 300 missing or dead, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need.
Two crew also were taken into custody, including a rookie third mate who a prosecutor said was steering in challenging waters unfamiliar to her when the accident occurred.
The number of confirmed dead rose to 32 yesterday when three bodies were found in the murky water near the ferry, said coast guard spokesman Kim Jae-in. Divers know some bodies are in the vessel, but they have been unable to get inside.
The ferry’s captain, Lee Joon-seok, 68, was arrested along with one of the Sewol’s three helmsmen and the 25-year-old third mate, prosecutors said.
“I am sorry to the people of South Korea for causing a disturbance and I bow my head in apology to the families of the victims,” Lee told reporters as he left the Mokpo Branch of Gwangju District Court for custody.
But he defended his decision to wait 30 minutes before ordering an evacuation.
“At the time, the current was very strong, the temperature of the ocean water was cold, and I thought that if people left the ferry without (proper) judgment, if they were not wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties,” Lee said.
“The rescue boats had not arrived yet, nor were there any civilian fishing ships or other boats nearby at that time.”
The Sewol sank off South Korea’s southern coast on Wednesday with 476 people aboard, most of them students on holiday from a single high school. About 270 people are still missing, and most are believed to be trapped inside the 6,852-ton vessel.
By the time the evacuation order was issued, the ship was listing at too steep an angle for many people to escape. Several survivors said that they never heard any evacuation order.
A civilian diver saw three bodies inside the ship yesterday but was unable to break the windows, said Kwon Yong-deok, a coast guard official. Hundreds of civilian, government and military divers were involved in the search yesterday.
Senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin told reporters that the third mate was steering the ship Wednesday morning as it passed through an area with clusters of islands and fast currents.
Prosecutor Park Jae-eok said investigators were looking at whether the third mate ordered too sharp a turn.
Yang said the third mate has six months’ experience, and hadn’t steered in the area before. She took the wheel this time because heavy fog caused a departure delay, Yang said.
Helmsman Park Kyung-nam identified the third mate as Park Han-kyul. The helmsman who was arrested, 55-year-old Cho Joon-ki, spoke to reporters and accepted some responsibility.
“There was a mistake on my part as well, but the steering had been turned much more than usual,” Cho said.
Lee, who has four decades of experience at sea, was not the Sewol’s main captain, and worked on the ship 10 days a month, helmsman Oh Yong-seok said.
Lee was not on the bridge when the ship began to list. “I gave instructions on the route, then briefly went to the bedroom when it happened,” he told reporters.
He faces five charges, including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, and the two other crew members each face three related charges.
Lee was required by law to be on the bridge helping his crew pass through tough-to-navigate areas, said Yang.
Yang also said Lee abandoned people in need of help, saying, “The captain escaped before the passengers.”
The two crew members failed to reduce speed near the islands and carry out measures to save lives, added Yang.
The Sewol left Incheon on Tuesday on an overnight journey to Jeju with 323 students from Danwon High School in Ansan among its passengers. It capsized within hours of the crew making a distress call before 9am on Wednesday.
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