All posts tagged south korean ship
Captain of Sewol, the Sunken South Korean Ferry, Charged with Murder and Faces Death Penalty
Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the South Korean Ferry Sewol that sank last month, has been charged with murder and if convicted could face the death penalty. Three other crew members - the chief engineer, Park Gi-ho, and his first and second mates, Kang Won-sik and Kim Young-ho - have also been charged with murder and likewise face the death penalty under South Korean law. Given that the death penalty has not been imposed in South Korea in nearly 20 years, it is unclear how likely it is that the captain and three crew members will be executed by the state. However, the sinking of the Sewol resulted in a particularly high death toll, with well over half of the ship's passengers perishing as a result of the ship disaster. Nearly 300 passengers have been confirmed dead, and another 20 are still missing, presumed dead long ago. Most of the passengers on board were high school students on a field trip. Read more [...]
South Korean Ship Disaster: Prime Minister of South Korea Resigns, Crew Members Arrested, and Death Toll Rises
The sinking of the Sewol, the South Korean ship that was filled with hundreds of high school students, has already faded from the headlines. However, a tragedy as great as the Sewol's sinking can't be so easily forgotten, and recent news - especially the resignation of Chung Hong-won, the Prime Minister of South Korea - has thrust the ferry disaster into public view once more. Below are the latest updates regarding the South Korean ship disaster, including information about the resignation of South Korean's Prime Minister, the arrest of every crew member who was responsible for navigating the ship, and the ever-rising death toll. Read more [...]
Arrest Warrant Issued for Captain of Sewol, the South Korean Ferry
As rescue workers continue their desperate search for any survivors on the Sewol, a South Korean ship filled with high school students that sunk two days ago, an arrest warrant has been issued for the ferry's captain, Lee Joon Suk (also rendered in English as "Lee Jun-seok"). In addition to the captain of the doomed ferry, South Korean prosecutors are also seeking to arrest the third mate of the ship and another crew member. Prosecutors allege that the third mate, and not the captain, was at the helm of the ship when the accident occurred. The three crew members are being charged with abandoning the ship and its passengers as the ferry was quickly flooded with water. The captain of the ferry has been on the hot seat essentially since the moment the ship started to sink, with early reports indicating that he would likely be charged with accidental manslaughter and negligence. Read more [...]
South Korean Ship Sinking: More Deaths Confirmed, Survivor Hangs Himself, and Other Grim Updates
The news surrounding the Sewol, the South Korean ship filled with high school students that sank on Wednesday for reasons that still aren't clear, has only become worse. We reported yesterday that the death toll of the shipwreck was almost certain to rise, and unfortunately it has. Twenty eight people, including five students and two teachers, are now confirmed dead, and the prospect of finding any of the missing 270 passengers alive has become increasingly doubtful. One part of the Sewol's hull remained above water for two days after the shipwreck, meaning at least one section of the ship was not yet flooded, but now the vessel is entirely submerged in the icy waters off the coast of South Korea. Adding another dimension of horror to the tragic shipwreck, one of the survivors committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt from a tree in Jindo, where relatives of missing passengers are staying. He was the vice principal of Ansan Danwon High School, which over 300 passengers on the doomed ferry attended. Read more [...]
South Korean Ship Sinking: Death Toll Continues to Rise, Hundreds Still Missing
Much remains unclear about the sinking of the Sewol, the 500-foot-long South Korean ship that was filled with high school students, but more details have emerged about yesterday's shipwreck. Unfortunately, many of the those details are grim. The death toll has risen to nine, and 287 passengers remain officially unaccounted for. Given that the ferry, whose sinking may have been precipitated by a collision with a rock or other underwater object, has been submerged in icy water for over an entire day, the final death toll of the sinking of the Sewol will almost certainly climb much higher. The only good news yet to emerge is that 179 have been rescued - this has been confirmed, unlike reports that appeared shortly after the shipwreck that claimed that every student on board the ship had been saved. To the infinite disappointment of the families of the missing, these reports were established to be false. Below we compile all the most important updates about the sinking of the South Korean ship, as well as piece together a narrative of what exactly went wrong. Read more [...]
South Korean Ship Filled with High School Students Sinks
A South Korean ship carrying nearly 500 passengers, including over 300 students, sank off the southwest coast of South Korea, potentially after hitting a rock. The Sewol, a ferry for both cars and passengers, was sailing from Incheon to Jeju, a resort island, when passengers on board heard a loud bump. Shortly thereafter, the ship started to list, triggering a crisis on board the ship, which sent out distress signals at 9:00 AM local time. Little has been confirmed about the sinking of the South Korean ship, but at least two people have died and many more are currently unaccounted for. The most dire possibility is that many passengers were stuck inside the ship when it sank, all but ensuring that the death toll will rise substantially. Read more [...]