Korean ferry disaster captain ‘lost ability to make decisions’
Print Edition
THE ship’s captain at the center of South Korea’s ferry disaster acknowledged during his murder trial yesterday that he should have done more to get passengers to safety as the boat started sinking.
Testifying for the first time in court, Lee Joon-Seok said his decision-making process was paralyzed by shock, but insisted that he had never intended to sacrifice the lives of the passengers to save himself.
The 6,825-ton Sewol capsized and sank on April 16, with the loss of more than 300 lives — most of them school pupils.
The captain and crew were vilified for abandoning the ferry while hundreds were still trapped inside, and criticized for ordering passengers to remain where they were when the ship began listing.
“I was stunned by the accident and I lost my ability to make decisions,” Lee told the court in the city of Gwangju.
“I failed to take the necessary measures for passengers to leave the ship.
“(But) I swear I never thought passengers should be left to die in order for me to make it to safety first,” he said.
Lee appeared tense and stammered during his testimony.
The 69-year-old and three senior crew members are accused of “homicide through wilful negligence” — a charge that can carry the death penalty.
Eleven other crew are being tried on lesser violations.
The findings released on Monday of a five-month investigation by state prosecutors concluded that a combination of cargo overloading, illegal redesign and poor helmsmanship had caused the disaster.
Under questioning by prosecutors, Lee said he knew that crew member Cho Jun-Ki, who was steering the ship after working the Sewol for only six months, did not have the required skill and experience.
Lee, when asked if he should have taken the helm in a channel notorious for its currents, replied: “Yes, I guess so.”
The Sewol made a sharp turn, causing it to list sharply. The cargo shifted, and the ferry was unable to right itself.
Lee claims that the ferry owners are to blame for habitually overloading the vessel.
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