--- description: The chief engineer received a 30-year sentence, while the other 13 members of the crew will serve up to 20 years title: 36 Years for Ferry Captain image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7497c09aa40a6cbd/6987681c3c1639e5a244fe4f/451121420.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 Korean Ferry Captain Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 11, 2014 6:43 AM CUT  Sewol ferry captain Lee Joon-seok, center, is escorted upon his arrival at the Gwangju District Court in the southwestern South Korean city of Gwangju on June 24, 2014 Sewol ferry captain Lee Joon-seok, center, is escorted upon his arrival at the Gwangju District Court in the southwestern South Korean city of Gwangju on June 24, 2014Wonsuk Choi—AFP/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 11, 2014 6:43 AM CUT The South Korean ferry captain in charge of the vessel that capsized in April and killed more than 300 people, most of them high school students, was [sentenced](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e6ef4e4a461f4cb5bfffe870888a1f90/s-korean-ferry-captain-gets-36-years-prison "undefined") to 36 years in prison on Tuesday. Lee Joon-seok, 68, on trial along with 14 other crew members for their role in the sinking of the _Sewol_ ferry, was convicted of gross negligence, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors had demanded that Lee be given the death penalty. The ship’s chief engineer was [convicted of murder](http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2014/11/11/28/0302000000AEN20141111005651315F.html "undefined") and handed a 30-year sentence while the rest of the crew were given sentences ranging from five to 20 years, South Korean agency Yonhap News reported. Earlier in the day, South Korean authorities called off the search for the bodies of remaining victims with nine still unaccounted for. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e6ef4e4a461f4cb5bfffe870888a1f90/s-korean-ferry-captain-gets-36-years-prison "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3577564/sewol-lee-joon-seok-south-korean-ferry-captain-sentenced-36-years-prison-gross-negligence/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3577564/sewol-lee-joon-seok-south-korean-ferry-captain-sentenced-36-years-prison-gross-negligence/"},"headline":"South Korean Ferry Captain Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison","datePublished":"2014-11-11T06:43:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:21:14.239Z","description":"The chief engineer received a 30-year sentence, while the other 13 members of the crew will serve up to 20 years","url":"https://time.com/3577564/sewol-lee-joon-seok-south-korean-ferry-captain-sentenced-36-years-prison-gross-negligence/","keywords":["South Korea","homicide","Death Penalty","Disaster","Search","victims"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7497c09aa40a6cbd/6987681c3c1639e5a244fe4f/451121420.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7497c09aa40a6cbd/6987681c3c1639e5a244fe4f/451121420.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SKOREA-ACCIDENT-BOAT-TRIAL","caption":"SKOREA-ACCIDENT-BOAT-TRIAL","creditText":"Wonsuk Choi—AFP/Getty Images","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/3577564/sewol-lee-joon-seok-south-korean-ferry-captain-sentenced-36-years-prison-gross-negligence/","name":"South Korean Ferry Captain Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison"}}]}] ```