A report released Monday on the April 16, 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, which left 304 dead or missing, concluded that the disaster was caused by structural failures of the vessel, including a malfunction of the steering system and alterations to the ship that made it unstable.
The Mokpo branch of the state-run Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal announced its conclusion on the Sewol tragedy, in which it dismissed the possibility that external factors, such as a collision with another vessel, had contributed to the ship capsizing.
The conclusion was based on a large-scale government survey conducted on the tragedy.
"After looking at the results of the investigation conducted after salvaging the ship, we did not find anything that indicated outside pressure had induced the abrupt turn (of the ship)," the agency under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said.
The 6,825-ton ferry carrying 476 people and some 2,215 tons of cargo was sailing in the waters off the Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province, on the morning of April 16, 2014, when it tilted after rapidly turning and ultimately capsized. It was found that the ship had over twice as much cargo as the 1,077 tons that had been permitted.
The KMST stated that the rapid turn did not appear to be caused by a steering mistake, but by a malfunctioning of the steering system. The ship was also unstable due to the low restoring force, which was caused by remodeling of the vessel that made it bigger and the hull higher.
The ship's cargo was not fastened in place, which allowed it to shift during the turn, making it subsequently impossible for the ship to stay afloat.
The government agency confirmed that the lack of rescue efforts on the part of the crew led to the massive number of casualties in the tragedy.
Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the ill-fated ferry, infamously abandoned ship without taking any measures to ensure the safety of his passengers. He instructed the crew to notify the passengers to stay in their spots, which led to them losing precious time to escape as the ship went down.
He was convicted of numerous criminal charges including murder committed by omission, and is currently serving a life sentence at the Suncheon Correctional Institution in Gwangju. Other sailors including the first and second officers, as well as the chief engineer, were convicted for following Lee's orders.
Several members of the Korea Coast Guard also faced criminal charges, but only Cpt. Kim Kyung-il was convicted, having been found guilty of causing death by occupational negligence and served three years in jail.
"Even though the captain and the crew became aware that the ship was in danger of sinking and they called the Coast Guard for help, they did not seek ways to get the passengers to escape as they themselves were rescued," the KMST said.
Due to the finding, the agency cancelled the licenses of five convicted sailors aboard the ship -- including the captain, the aforementioned officers and the chief engineer — while three other sailors had their licenses suspended. Cheonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the Sewol, was ordered to address the problems and errors discovered in the investigation.
The ship company challenged the decision, and the appellate case is still ongoing. The decision by the KMST acts similar to a ruling by the court of first instance, and those who disagree with the decision can appeal to the high court and the Supreme Court as in legal trials.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
