‘False Document Creation’ Kim Munhong and Lee Jaedu Suspended Sentences Confirmed
Former Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard Kim Seok-gyun and others, who were prosecuted for causing the deaths of passengers by failing to take proper initial measures during the Sewol ferry disaster, have been acquitted.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dong-won) on the 2nd upheld the lower court's verdict acquitting former Commissioner Kim, former Deputy Commissioner Choi Sang-hwan, former West Sea Coast Guard Commissioner Kim Soo-hyun, and former Coast Guard Security and Safety Bureau Director Lee Chun-jae, who were charged with professional negligence resulting in death.
However, former Mokpo Coast Guard Station Chief Kim Moon-hong and former Commander of the 3009 ship Lee Jae-doo were sentenced to suspended prison terms for falsifying documents during the incident reporting process.
Former Commissioner Kim and others were prosecuted for failing to fulfill their duty of care necessary for rescue during the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014, which resulted in 303 deaths and 142 injuries.
The Special Investigation Unit for the Sewol Ferry Disaster under the prosecution judged that former Commissioner Kim and others violated their obligation to assess the situation at the Sewol site, command and control, and immediately guide evacuation and enter the hull to rescue lives.
The first trial acquitted former Commissioner Kim and others, ruling that professional negligence was not recognized due to communication difficulties between rescue personnel and the control room, as well as defects inside the Sewol ferry hull.
The second trial also acquitted them, judging that it was difficult to definitively conclude that former Commissioner Kim and others could have easily foreseen the situation where "the sinking of the Sewol ferry was imminent, requiring immediate evacuation, yet passengers were waiting inside the ship unprepared." The Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts' judgment.
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