On Monday, South Korean prosecutors announced that they would be seeking the death penalty for the ferry captain facing murder charges following the April 16 disaster earlier this year. The captain abandoned ship and left hundreds of students behind as it sank. Capital punishment is rarely inflicted in South Korea, as shown by the lack of executions in nearly two decades in the country. The capsizing of the ship, Sewol, is the result of the ship being superfluously loaded. The wreck killed 304 people, from which ten bodies have not been recovered. Most of the deceased were students that came from one high school. Lee Joon-seok, the 68-year-old captain, has been charged with "homicide through willful negligence" for abandoning the ship off the southern coast of South Korea. In addition to the death penalty for the captain, the prosecutors also asked the judge to consider life sentences to the three crew members who are being charged with the same crime. The court is expected to reach a verdict and its sentences for the crew members on November 11.
I don't particularly agree with the death penalty but I found it startling when, in the article, the author mentioned that the captain has stated the he feels like he "deserves to die." If that statement was sincere, then you can tell the man feels incredibly guilty for what happened a few months back. This disaster kind of reminds me of the Titanic, even if the ferry wreck wasn't to the same degree. We had hundreds of people traveling for the same reason and they never made it. It's tragic. I hope these families have found peace for their losses, and that the victims receive the justice that they deserve.
I feel like the death penalty is way too harsh for this kind of action.
ReplyDeleteThe death penalty is such a harsh punishment for this. The captain was trying to protect himself and went with his natural instinct to save himself first.
ReplyDelete-Glenna Loughlin 5th
Athough I believe that the death penalty should not be enforced for this man, I do know that so many countries around the world have held up pride and courage through acts of heroism and self-sacrifice in order to maintain respect for themselves and their families. This clearly was not the right choice on the part of the captain, and I'm sure that this man feels the guilt of going against the cultural norm, yet he should not have his life taken by others for this.
ReplyDelete-Sophia Davison
This is way too intense for the action. The captain should not receive this penalty. Quentin Noble 2
ReplyDelete