S Korea ferry captain blames company

The captain of a South Korean sunken ferry has blamed the ship’s operator for one of the worst maritime disasters in the country’s history.

Testifying at a court on Friday, Lee Joon-seok said it was a standard, customary decision made by the management to overload the ferry and ignore safety checks.

Kim Han-sik, the head of the ship’s operator Chonghaejin Marine Company, together with 11 other officials from the company and related firms appeared in the court to be tried on a number of charges, including criminal negligence and corruption.

“It was an open secret and everyone at Chonghaejin knew very well that the ferry had dangerously been tampered with its ability to rebalance itself”, the captain told the court in the southern city of Gwangju, adding, “We just followed an old practice.”

The captain, along with 14 other crew members, is accused of leaving the sinking ship with passengers on board.

The 6,825-ton ferry was reportedly carrying an estimated 3,608 tons of cargo — more than three times what an inspector said it could safely carry. It sank en route to the resort Island of Jeju on April 15, killing 294 passengers, mostly students. Ten others still remain missing.

The Korean government faced widespread disapproval for its handling of the disaster and the rescue effort. Critics said valuable time was wasted during the first emergency call from a passenger to the coast guard office.

MSM/MHB/MAM