Supreme Court upholds acquittal of former Coast Guard officials over Sewol ferry case

The Supreme Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's acquittal of former Coast Guard officials who were indicted over the failed rescue activities in Sewol ferry sinking in 2014.

The court said "there was no misunderstanding of the law in the lower court's rulings" that acquitted 11 officials, including Kim Suk-kyoon, the former chief of the Korea Coast Guard.

They were accused of professional negligence and indicted in February 2020 for failing to rescue passengers in the tragedy.

The sinking of the Sewol passenger ferry, which capsized off Korea's southern coast in April 2014 while en route to Jeju, killed 303 passengers, mostly high school students.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]