--- description: The Sewol had shown signs of instability repeatedly before the April 16 disaster, according to the vessel’s regular captain title: Sewol: South Korea Ferry Owners 'Ignored Stability Problems' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4a624740a24b3e2/69868b6f169ab0ae5b278e1a/2014-04-18t033830z_1415094200_gm1ea4h0.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [South Korea](/tag/south-korea/) ## South Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # South Korea Ferry Owners 'Ignored Stability Problems'  by [Charlie Campbell](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Apr 30, 2014 9:33 AM CUT  A vessel involved in salvage operations passes near the upturned South Korean ferry Sewol in the sea off Jindo April 17, 2014. A vessel involved in salvage operations passes near the upturned South Korean ferry Sewol in the sea off Jindo April 17, 2014.Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters  by [Charlie Campbell](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Apr 30, 2014 9:33 AM CUT Warnings regarding the [seaworthiness](http://news.yahoo.com/korean-president-apologises-over-ferry-disaster-033709480.html;%5Fylt=AwrSyCVAgWBTjTsAM1nQtDMD "undefined") of the doomed South Korean ferry _Sewol_ were ignored, prosecutors said Wednesday, as rescuers struggled to recover more than 90 bodies still trapped within the sunken ship’s hull. AFP reports that the regular captain, who was not working on the vessel the day it sank, repeatedly warned the ferry owners of serious stability problems, according to senior prosecutor Yang Jong-jin. While the confirmed death toll from the April 16 tragedy currently stands at 210, there are 92 people still missing and presumed dead. All 15 crew members who helped navigate the ship have been taken into custody, accused of negligence and failing to help passengers. The day following the disaster, Kim Han-sik, the 71-year-old CEO of owning company Chonghaejin Marine, issued a tearful apology for the “horrible tragedy” and appeared to take responsibility along with his senior colleagues for the “grave sin” that allowed it to take place. A total of 476 people were aboard the 6,825-ton _Sewol_, most of them high school students, when it began to list heavily and eventually capsized. The Japanese-made vessel had an extra deck added to its upper levels, and investigators wonder whether this adversely affected its stability. \[[_AFP_](http://news.yahoo.com/korean-president-apologises-over-ferry-disaster-033709480.html;%5Fylt=AwrSyCVAgWBTjTsAM1nQtDMD "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/82316/south-korea-ferry-stability-sewol/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/82316/south-korea-ferry-stability-sewol/"},"headline":"South Korea Ferry Owners 'Ignored Stability Problems'","datePublished":"2014-04-30T09:33:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:34:34.736Z","description":"The regular captain of the sunken Sewol ferry says it had shown repeated signs of instability before the April 16 disaster, pushing blame on the doomed ferry's owners as poor weather continues to hamper efforts to recover more than 90 bodies still believed to be inside","url":"https://time.com/82316/south-korea-ferry-stability-sewol/","keywords":["South Korea","tragedy","ferry"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4a624740a24b3e2/69868b6f169ab0ae5b278e1a/2014-04-18t033830z_1415094200_gm1ea4h0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlie Campbell","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/charlie-campbell/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf4a624740a24b3e2/69868b6f169ab0ae5b278e1a/2014-04-18t033830z_1415094200_gm1ea4h0.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"South Korean Ferry","caption":"South Korean Ferry","creditText":"Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/south-korea/","name":"South Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/82316/south-korea-ferry-stability-sewol/","name":"South Korea Ferry Owners 'Ignored Stability Problems'"}}]}] ```