The South Korean government is liable for the botched rescue of more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, who drowned when their overloaded ferry sank,
SEOUL – The South Korean government is liable for the botched rescue of more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, who drowned when their overloaded ferry sank, a court ruled Thursday, ordering the state to compensate relatives.
In a landmark ruling, the Seoul Central District Court awarded the next of kin of each deceased passenger from the Sewol ferry 200 million won ($177,000), a further 40 million won for each of their parents, and smaller sums for other relatives.
The vast majority of the victims of the 2014 sinking off the southwestern coast, one of the country’s worst-ever maritime disasters, were high school students on an excursion and the sinking dealt a crushing blow to now-ousted President Park Geun-hye.
As the 6,800-ton boat was taking on water, the passengers were told by the crew to stay put while the captain and his colleagues were first to leave the vessel.
