Head of firm that operated ship which capsized in
April and killed hundreds gets 10 years in prison
for manslaughter .
The head of a company that operated South
Korea' s Sewol ferry, which capsized in April,
leaving more than 300 people dead, has been
convicted of manslaughter over the disaster .
A court in the southern city of Gwangju sentenced
Kim Han -Sik , CEO of Chonghaejin Marine Co, to 10
years in prison after finding that the company
allowed the ferry to be routinely overloaded .
The 6, 825- tonne Sewol was carrying 476 people -
most of them high school students on an
organised trip - when the overloaded , ill -balanced
vessel commanded by what the court termed as
an " incompetent" crew capsized off the southern
coast on April 16.
Kim, 71, was also found guilty of allowing the
ship ' s cargo to be left unsecured in breach of
safety standards .
Ten other defendants , including six from
Chonghaejin Marine , stood trial with Kim. One was
acquitted and nine were given sentences ranging
from suspended jail terms to six years in prison .
Kim had repeatedly denied responsibility, insisting
he was a salaried employee under the thumb of
company owner Yoo Byung -Eun , whom he
described as being deeply involved in the hands -on
operations of the firm .
Kim was also convicted of diverting $ 2. 6m from
Chonghaejin Marine over the past four years and
funnelling it to Yoo , Yoo ' s other companies
and Yoo ' s family members .
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