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 A three-judge panel in the southern city of Gwangju will hand down
verdicts and sentencing on Tuesday in the trial of captain Lee
Joon-seok, 68, as well as 14 crew members, who face jail terms if
convicted.
The overloaded Sewol capsized on April 16 while making a turn during
a routine voyage to the holiday island of Jeju. The crew were among
the first people to be rescued from the ship, while the mostly
teenage passengers waited in their cabins.
The public outcry provoked by the tragedy led to concerns over
whether the crew would be able to get a fair trial, with private
sector lawyers largely shunning the defendants. Only one crew member
was represented by a private lawyer.
"I think the prosecutors have been under very heavy pressure," said
Cheong Yeong-seok, a law professor at Korea Maritime and Ocean
University.
During the five-month trial, families in the gallery occasionally
made emotional outbursts.
"In my opinion, the death penalty which prosecutors demanded is too
much for the captain's charge. But the public opinion was too
negative and the situation from the gallery in the courtroom wasn't
good," said Cheong.
 Death sentences are rare in South Korea, which has not carried out
an execution in more than 15 years.
Kim Hyun, a maritime lawyer advising the government on payment of
damages to victims in the sinking, said he believed the crew
received a fair hearing.
"I think it has been a fair trial given the defendants and their
lawyers have made enough arguments in favor of them, despite public
criticism," he said.
Only 172 of the 476 passengers and crew were rescued. Of the 304
confirmed dead or still missing, 250 were school children.
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The crew on trial have said they thought it was the coastguard's job
to evacuate passengers. Video footage of their escape triggered
outrage, especially after survivors testified that crew repeatedly
told passengers to stay put.
Three crew members in addition to Lee face homicide charges, with
prosecutors seeking life prison terms. Prosecutors sought prison
terms ranging from 15 to 30 years for the other crew on trial, who
face lesser charges, including negligence.
There are 58 people on death row in South Korea, according to the
justice ministry, but the last time the country carried out an
execution was in December 1997, when 23 convicts were hanged.
Lee, the captain, has apologized to the families of the victims and
said he never intended to harm anyone.
Some of the crew made tearful apologies following their lawyers'
closing speeches, which argued that the defendants were mostly too
badly trained to handle the disaster.
(Editing by Tony Munroe and Alex Richardson)
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