68 year-old Captain Lee Joon Seok and 14 of his crew were tried yesterday at Gwangju district court, south of Seoul. The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank in April and caused the deaths of over 300 people had rejected homicide charges filed against him at the first day of his trial, Bloomberg reported. Relatives of the victims of the maritime tragedy were present at the trial, and jeered the ship's crew. Prosecutors have accused Lee and the rest of his crew of abandoning the ferry as it sank on April 16, leaving the passengers, who were mostly children and teachers on a high school trip, in their cabins without knowing that they have been left behind.
A court spokesman told Bloomberg over the phone, "Lee said through his lawyer he did all he could to save the passengers, but couldn't do anything more, because the ship had already capsized too much."
Hahn also said that three other crew members who were also charged alongside Lee has denied the allegations as well.
Among the 476 people onboard the doomed Sewol ferry, 172 were only saved. Divers have yet to find the remains of the 12 bodies still lost at sea after retrieving 292 victims from the capsized ferry located at the southwestern coast of the country.
Hahn added that the remained loved ones of the victims had started calling names as the trial started, with one he recalled calling the crew "murderers." Another had dubbed the group as "lower than animals," which launched the presiding judge to ask for order in the court, he added. Television images also showed the tension between the crew and the loved ones of the victims, as a scuffle appeared to have erupted outside the courtroom before the trial between family members and someone whom they believed were associated with the ferry operator.
Bloomberg said homicide is punishable by death in South Korea. However, no one has yet to be executed for the offense since 1997. Later this month, a separate trial is scheduled for the chairman of the ferry operator and other senior employees, who have been charged with allowing excess ship cargo and other ship safety breaches. Meanwhile, Yoo Buyng Eun, whom authorities believed is the de-facto owner of the ferry, has ye to be found. A reward of half a million dollars has already been extended by the South Korean government for information about Yoo's whereabouts.
