South Korea ferry company chief sentenced to 10 years in jail for April disaster

A South Korean district court Thursday sentenced the chief executive of Chonghaejin Marine Company — which operated the ferry involved in the April disaster that killed more than 300 people — to 10 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and embezzlement.

Kim Han-sik, one of 11 put on trial for their involvement relating to the April sinking of the ferry Sewol, was found guilty of not taking action after junior officials reportedly informed him of the ship’s instability. Judge Yim Jung-yeob focused on the part Kim played in overseeing the refurbishment of the vessel to increase the ferry’s capacity by adding further cabins to the upper decks, an adjustment that made the Sewol top-heavy. The dangerous unbalance, investigators said, combined with the overloading of the ship, were responsible for the disaster.

“Kim remodeled the ship and overloaded it with cargo in an effort to overcome the company’s deficits,” Judge Yim said in his ruling, “despite being briefed that the ship’s ability to balance itself was compromised.”

Kim was also charged with embezzling money from the company.

The ruling comes a week after the captain of the Sewol, Lee Joon-seok, was sentenced to 36 years in prison for abandoning the hundreds of passengers aboard the vessel — most of them high school students — while it was sinking.