Sewol’s cargo loading company being investigated

Posted on : 2014-04-19 13:02 KST Modified on : 2014-04-19 13:02 KST
Sewol’s captain also facing possibility of life in prison for fleeing ship without rescuing passengers

By Song Ho-kyun and Noh Hyun-woong, staff reporters

The joint investigative (led by Lee Seong-yun) who are investigating the causes of the sinking of the Sewol ferry searched the offices of a transportation company that was in charge of the cargo on the Sewol, in addition to Cheonghaejin Shipping, the company operating the Sewol. Investigators were following up tips provided by survivors, who suggested that the ship had sunk because cargo in the hold had shifted to one side after the ship made a sudden turn.

The team of investigators announced on Apr. 18 that the Incheon Coast Guard had questioned employees of the company, including a department head surnamed Lee, 51, who was in charge of the cargo on the Sewol. Early in the morning on the same day, the Incheon Coast Guard raided the company’s offices in Incheon, and seized various records, including a list of the cargo that had been loaded on the Sewol. The transportation company had a contract with Cheonghaejin Shipping for handling cargo from Incheon to Jeju Island. “We are currently confirming what kind of cargo there was, how much it weighed, where it was placed, and how it was secured,” the Incheon Coast Guard said.

In related news, the team of investigators requested arrest warrants for three of the crew on the Sewol, including the captain, Lee Jun-seok, 69. Instead of the standard charge of manslaughter, the prosecutors are planning to charge Lee with fleeing a ship under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, Etc. of Special Crimes that allows harsher sentences. If convicted, Lee faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Lee is charged with escaping the ship with the other crew members instead of fulfilling his duty to rescue the passengers.

The prosecutors also requested warrants for three members of the crew, including a woman surnamed Park, 26, the officer who was overseeing navigation in the pilot house when the ship made the abrupt turn.

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