Sewol Ferry Disaster
MV Sewol capsizing, as taken by the South Korean coast guard on 16 April 2014
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| Native name | Hangul: 세월호 침몰 사고 |
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| Date | 16 April 2014 |
| Time | Around 9 a.m. to around 11:30 a.m. (KST) |
| Location | 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) off Donggeochado,Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea |
| Coordinates | 34°13′5″N 125°57′0″E / 34.21806°N 125.95000°ECoordinates: 34°13′5″N 125°57′0″E / 34.21806°N 125.95000°E |
| Deaths | 295 on-board 2 rescue divers |
| Missing | 5 |
| Property damage | Cargo: ₩200 billion ($180 million) |
| Inquest | 3 separate investigations |
| Suspect(s) | Captain and 14 crew members |
| Charges | Homicide (4 including the captain), Fleeing and abandoning ship (2),Negligence (9) |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Life sentence (captain), 10 years (chief engineer), 18 months −12 years (13 other crew) |
| On board | 476 (325 Danwon High School students) |
| Survivors | 172(171 excluding the subsequent suicide of the vice principal of Danwon High School) |
The sinking of MV Sewol (Hangul: 세월호 침몰 사고; Hanja: 世越號沈沒事故), also referred to as the Sewol Ferry Disaster, occurred on the morning of 16 April 2014, en route from Incheon to Jeju in South Korea. The Japanese-built South Korean ferry sank while carrying 476 people, mostly secondary school students from Danwon High School (Ansan City). The 6,825-ton vessel sent a distress signal from about 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) north off Byeongpungdo at 08:58 Korea Standard Time (23:58 UTC, 15 April 2014). In total, 304 passengers and crew members died in the disaster. Of the approximately 172 survivors, more than half were rescued by fishing boats and other commercial vessels that arrived at the scene approximately 40 minutes after the South Korean coast guard.
The sinking of Sewol resulted in widespread social and political reaction within South Korea. Many criticized the actions of the captain and most of the crew. More criticized the ferry operator and the regulators who oversaw its operations. Additional criticism was directed at the South Korean government and media for its disaster response (including the poor showing of the then Korean coastguard) and attempts to downplay government culpability.
On 15 May 2014, the captain and three crew members were charged with murder, while the other 11 members of the crew were indicted for abandoning the ship. An arrest warrant was also issued for Yoo Byung-eun, the owner of Chonghaejin Marine, which operated Sewol, but he could not be found despite a nationwide manhunt. On 22 July 2014, police revealed that they had established that a dead man found in a field 415 kilometres south of Seoul was Yoo. Foul play was ruled out, but police say they have yet to establish the cause of Yoo's death.
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