Fifteen South Korean crew members have gone on trial over the deaths of at least 292 people, most of them school pupils, in a ferry disaster in April.<\/p>\n
Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and three others face the most serious charge of “homicide through wilful negligence”.<\/p>\n
His lawyer said the captain had no power to stop the firm from overloading the ferry, and insisted he had not meant to cause the accident.<\/p>\n
Many relatives of the victims were in court to see the opening of the trial.<\/p>\n
The case has received feverish media coverage, leaving commentators suggesting that the defendants will struggle to get a fair trial.<\/p>\n
Hahn Jee-hyung, a judge who acts as a spokesman for the court, pleaded with the public not to take their frustrations out on the defence lawyers.<\/p>\n
“The state-appointed lawyers have taken on the case out of public interest and not of their own will,” Hahn told reporters.<\/p>\n
The trial will focus on Capt Lee and his crew’s escape from the sinking ferry while hundreds of passengers remained trapped inside.<\/p>\n
If convicted, Capt Lee and three crew members could be handed the death penalty, but observers say it is extremely unlikely it would be carried out.<\/p>\n
Eleven other crew are being tried on lesser charges of criminal negligence and maritime law violations.<\/p>\n
In his opening statement, Capt Lee’s defence lawyer Lee Kwang-jae insisted his client had no intention to kill the passengers.<\/p>\n
“It wasn’t like he had a grudge against the children, so it’s difficult to accept the prosecution’s argument that he wilfully neglected the duty of rescue and escaped to save himself,” he said.<\/p>\n
Political fallout<\/strong><\/p>\n A nationwide manhunt is is still going on for fugitive businessman Yoo Byung-Eun, who is believed to own the Chonghaejin Marine company that operated the sunken ferry.<\/p>\n The police have also arrested executives of the ferry operator and subsidiaries of the investment firm held by Yoo’s family but they have yet to be brought to trial.<\/p>\n The coastguard, which is set to be broken up, is also facing investigation on charges of negligence in the course of the rescue operation.<\/p>\n And the political fallout continues, with President Park Geun-hye being forced to appoint a new prime minister after the previous incumbent resigned over the tragedy.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, she nominated former journalist Moon Chang-geuk for the post.<\/p>\n Ms Moon is expected to take charge of overhauling bureaucracy and reforming safety standards.<\/p>\n ‘Akin to murder’<\/strong><\/p>\n The ferry disaster caused an outpouring of public anger, and there have been calls for severe punishment for the crew.<\/p>\n President Park Geun-hye condemned the conduct of some of the crew of the ferry, calling it “akin to murder” and promising that those responsible would be “punished severely”.<\/p>\n The confirmed death toll has reached 292, with 12 passengers still missing.<\/p>\n Prosecutors say the ferry owner ignored safety warnings and allowed the ship to be overloaded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fifteen South Korean crew members have gone on trial over the deaths of at least 292 people, most of them school pupils, in a ferry disaster in April. Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and three others face the most serious charge of “homicide through wilful negligence”. His lawyer said the captain had no power to stop […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\n