News Digest

S. Korea ferry captain sentenced to 36 years as search for victims ends

The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank in April was on Tuesday found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison. Apart from Lee Joon-seok, a local court also handed down sentences of 15 to 30 years in prison for three other senior crew members: the first mate, Kang Won-sik; the second mate, Kim Young-ho; and the chief engineer, Park Gi-ho. 11 other crew members were given sentences of 5 to 10 years for accidental homicide, criminal negligence and other charges. Tuesday’s verdict in light of one of the country’s worst maritime disasters came as South Korean authorities announced an end to nearly seven months of underwater searches for nine remaining missing victims.

The government deployed as many resources as possible… to bring the last missing person to the families. But the situation in the ship has become too difficult for search operations to continue.

Lee Ju-Young, South Korean maritime minister

Divers had been carrying out near daily missions to scour the upturned vessel until Tuesday’s announcement. Of the 476 people on board the 6,825-tonne Sewol when it capsized, 325 were high school students on an organised outing. Only 75 students survived. The body of a female student was recovered late last month, the first to be retrieved since Jul. 18. Relatives of those still unaccounted for have remained in the southern island of Jindo — closest to the disaster site — since April, despite warnings that their loved ones may have been washed out to sea.