S.Korea arrests CEO of sunken ferry, revokes company's licence
May 10 IANS
The head of the company that operated the ill-fated ferry Sewol, was
on Thursday arrested on charges of "causing death by negligence" by the
prosecutors in wake of the sinking disaster that has left more than 300
people either dead or missing.Kim Han-sik, president of Chonghaejin
Marine Co. that operated the ferry, was arrested on Thursday morning
from his home in Bundang.
The ferry operator chief may face charges of manslaughter and
maritime law violation.After his arrest, Kim appeared before media and
apologised to the victims and their kins.Four other members of the ferry
operator company have already been arrested. Also, 15 surviving crew
members aboard the doomed ferry have been arrested.
Also, South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has decided to
revoke the operation license of the ferry operator company Chonghaejin
Marine Co. for its Incheon-Jeju Island route, reported the Yonhap news
agency. "The ministry has repeatedly made clear of its plan to revoke
the operation license of Chonghaejin Marine Co.," it said in a press
release.
According to the Yonhap agency, prosecutors suspect that the ferry
capsized because of overloading that was either authorised or ignored by
him. According to senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin, the ferry company
chief was aware that the ferry was overloaded but he did nothing before
its trip to Jeju Island.
The investigators reportedly believe that the ferry capsized on
taking a sharp turn as the heavy cargo containers came loose.
On the fateful day of sinking, the ferry is said to have been loaded
with cargo weighing three times more than the ship's capacity that was
revised to 987 tonnes according to documents. The 6,825-ton ferry was
carrying 3,608 tons of cargo, including 108 vehicles and 476 passengers
on April 16 when it sank off Jindo Island, killing 269 and leaving 35
missing.Only 172 people were rescued in the deadly disaster. |