Captain Behind The Death Of 300, Gets Thirty Years

Lee Joon-seok, 69, was found guilty of severe dereliction of duty but cleared of murder following a five-month trial.
The three-judge bench ruled that prosecutors, who had demanded the death penalty for the captain, failed to prove the most serious charge of "homicide through wilful negligence".

Three other senior crew members, who had also faced homicide charges, were sentenced to jail terms of up to 30 years.

"We find it hard to conclude that the defendants ... were aware that all of the victims would die because of their actions and they had an intention to kill them," the bench said. 

"Therefore the murder charges are not accepted."

The verdicts and sentences handed to 11 other crew members also on trial were not immediately clear.

The overloaded Sewol capsized on 16 April while making a turn during a routine voyage to the holiday island of Jeju.

Members of the crew were among the first people to be rescued from the ship, while the mostly teenage passengers waited in their cabins. 

Lee had apologised for abandoning the passengers but said he did not know his actions would lead to so many deaths.

The public outcry prompted by the tragedy led to concerns that the crew may not get a fair trial, with private sector lawyers largely shunning the defendants.

Only 172 of the 476 passengers and crew were rescued, with 304 confirmed dead.