Captain of sunk ferry escapes death sentence
The captain of the South Korean ferry that sink in April, killing more than 300 – the vast majority of them children on a school trip – has been given a 36 year prison sentence.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty of Lee Joon-sook, who had abandoned the overloaded ferry while hundreds of passengers and crew remained trapped inside.
However, the court in the city of Gwangju found 68-year-old Lee not guilty of murder but guilty of a lesser charge of gross negligence and dereliction of duty.
The ferry Sewol had capsized while making a turn during a voyage to the holiday island of Jeju.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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