A Seoul court on Sunday upheld the government’s decision to punish a public official who failed to draw up a manual for maritime crisis management ahead of the Sewol ferry sinking.

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the public official, surnamed Choi, for neglecting his duty to complete the manual on preventing maritime disasters and resolving crises afterward.

A high-ranking official at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Choi headed his team in assisting navigation and managing the maritime manual in the wake of the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16, 2014.

He had allegedly received an official order to write up the standard manual by February 2014, but ignored it until the ferry capsized off the southwest coast and killed 304 people.

He ended up finishing it in August that year, the court said.

The ruling came in response to Choi’s petition, asking the court to withdraw the ministry’s decision to reprimand him for his negligence.

The sanction measure was based on the audit agency’s request, amid its comprehensive investigation into the nation’s safety conditions concerning ferries.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)