The first trial, Kim Seok-gyun and 10 others were convicted
On the 15th, the court declared innocence to 10 members of the Coast Guard command, including former Maritime Police Commissioner Kim Seok-gyun, who was charged with neglecting the duty of rescue during the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, killing 303 passengers and injuring 142 people (injury of negligence in business). The judge said, “The Sewol ferry case was an incident that seriously hurt many citizens who were stunned by the rescue situation,” and said, “There will be many evaluations on the judgment of the court, but even if there is criticism, I will accept it.”
The 22nd Division of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement (President Judge Yang Chul-han) acknowledged that the coastal rescue team, who had been dispatched to the site of the sinking of the Sewol ferry, did not attempt to promptly evacuate and enter the hull, resulting in damage, but commanders such as Kim Jeon I decided that I would not have been able to fully recognize the situation.
The judge said that the 123 boats belonging to the Mokpo Coast Guard and helicopters that were put into the field were not equipped with a video transmission system, so the command had a limitation in grasping the situation on the site. At the time, it was also considered that there was a possibility that Kim Gyeong-il’s 123 suit, “I would induce passengers to leave the ship,” but did not take action, and that the situation could have been mistaken for the command. The judge also explained, “It would not have been possible to predict the situation where the crew of the Sewol ferry such as Captain Lee Joon-seok abandoned their rescue duty and escaped, and the situation where passengers were waiting on board.” It was also pointed out that the speed of sinking of the Sewol ferry at that time was exceptionally fast. The judge said, “It would have been difficult for the defendants to grasp the characteristic that the Sewol ferry could flood more quickly due to internal problems such as excessive loading.” After receiving the on-site report that’the hull tilted to 45-50 degrees’ It was difficult to judge that the possibility of rescue through entry into the ship would disappear.”
However, the judiciary was probated after 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment against former head of Mokpo Coast Guard Kim Moon-hong and former Captain Lee Jae-du of 3009 ships, respectively, on charges of falsely writing a report stating that “there was an order to induce departure” immediately after the accident. He was sentenced to two years probation after six months in prison.
View larger-The only maritime police official who was criminally punished for the failure to rescue the Sewol ferry was the only one who was sentenced to three years in prison by the Supreme Court in 2015 by former Inspector Kim, who was 123 suit. The ruling on the day only resulted in a sentence of probation for prison sentence for writing false reports to the chief officer and officers at the police level, and senior officers above the police officers avoided criminal penalties. The family members of the Sewol ferry who were in the court on that day rebelled, saying, “Does it make sense?” “Is it correct?” Yoo Gyeong-geun, the executive chairman of the 4-16 Year Old Family Council, criticized the sentence as “a ruling that will return our society to before 2014.” The bereaved family raised their voices, saying, “didn’t the President promise to come forward if the results of the investigation were insufficient?” The Sewol ferry disaster special investigation team also announced that it will appeal, saying, “It is difficult to understand the results of the first trial.”
Earlier, the court ruled that the government and Cheong Hae Shipping paid 200 million won for alimony per victim, acknowledging civil liability, saying that the government failed to properly respond and rescue during the Sewol ferry disaster in July 2018.
Reporter Hee-cheol Shin [email protected]Go to reporter page>
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