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 Lee Joon-seok, 68, appeared at times disoriented and unable to
properly understand questions when he took the stand for the first
time in the court in the southwestern city of Gwangju that is trying
him and three crew members for homicide, it said.
The overloaded ferry Sewol capsized and sank on a routine voyage
that killed about 300 people, causing an outpouring of grief as well
as outrage at President Park Geun-hye's government for what was seen
by many as a botched rescue operation.
Lee was among 15 crew members accused of abandoning the sharply
listing ferry after telling the passengers, most of them school
children on a trip to the holiday island of Jeju, to stay put in
their cabins.
The 11 other defendants face less serious charges, such as
negligence. The defense lawyers of most said they had done their
duty as crew, and the job of rescuing the passengers rested with the
better trained coast guard.
Lee said he was following established practice by not running checks
to ensure the cargo and the number of passengers fell within the
limits of what his ship could carry.
"It's been the custom," Lee was quoted as saying by Yonhap, when
asked why he did not make thorough checks.
The court has heard from teenagers who survived the disaster that
they had helped one another in a desperate struggle to escape the
sinking vessel. In addition to the school children, 12 of their
teachers were killed.
The ferry was heading from the port of Incheon south to Jeju,
carrying students and teachers from the Danwon High School on the
outskirts of Seoul, besides other passengers and cargo.
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The operator of the ferry has since ceased operation and the head of
the family that owned the holding company, Yoo Byung-un, 73, was
found dead in an orchard in June, although his body was only
identified 40 days later and authorities have been unable to
determine how he died.
Yoo’s wife, two brothers and oldest son have been arrested on
charges that include embezzlement, but were temporarily released
from detention to attend the funeral, scheduled for Saturday.
Police have arrested executives of the ferry operator and
subsidiaries of the holding firm. The coast guard, which is set to
be broken up, also faces a probe for suspected negligence in the
course of the rescue operation.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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