The captain of the Sewol-ho ferry that sank back in April... has avoided the death penalty.
Lee Joon-seok was instead sentenced to 36 years in prison.
Others in his crew will also spend time behind bars.
Kim Hyun-bin reports on Tuesday′s court verdict.
A district court in Gwangju on Tuesday sentenced Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the Sewol-ho ferry, to 36 years in prison... for abandoning ship at the time of the deadly sinking.
He was, however,... acquitted of murder charges, meaning he avoids the death penalty, which prosecutors had pushed for.
The court said in their ruling that there wasn′t enough evidence to convict Lee of murder.
They said the prosecution had failed to prove that Lee was aware his actions would lead to the deaths of people on board.
In the same ruling, the ferry′s chief engineer, identified only by his family name Park, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
He was found responsible for not helping two crew members who later died in the ferry... escape.
Thirteen other crew members were given sentences ranging between five and 20 years on charges of abandoning ship and violations of ship safety protocol.
Prosecutors pinned most of the blame for the deaths of 300-plus people in the ferry disaster on Lee and his crew, as they told passengers to stay in the cabins while the crew hurriedly left the sinking ferry.
Tuesday′s verdicts bring the five-month trial to a close.
Prosecutors say they will appeal Tuesday′s court decision on all 15 crew members.
The ruling came hours after the Korean government ended its seven-month underwater search inside the sunken Sewol-ho ferry.
The 68-hundred ton ferry sank on April 16th off Korea′s southwestern coast.
The death toll in the tragedy currently stands at 295, with nine still missing.
Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.

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