South Korean government, shipping company ordered to pay compensation for 2014 Sewol ferry disaster that killed 304

More than 300 people, mostly students, died in 2014 when a ferry boat sank.

July 19, 2018, 9:33 AM

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's court has ordered the government and a shipping company to pay compensation to the families of victims of the Sewol ferry that sank in 2014, killing 304 on board, mostly high school students. It is the first time the state was held responsible for the tragedy that took a toll on the nation for years.

"The court acknowledges the liability in compensating the plaintiffs, since the negligence by the state and Cheonghaejin Marine Co. has resulted in the occurrence of the accident," the court announced on Thursday.

PHOTO: In this handout provided by Donga Daily, The Republic of Korea Coast Guard work at the site of ferry sinking accident off the coast of Jindo Island  on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea.
The Republic of Korea Coast Guard work at the site of a ferry accident off the coast of Jindo Island in Jindo-gun, South Korea, April 16, 2014.
Park Young-Chul-Donga Daily via Getty Images

Each victim is to receive $177,000 in compensation. An additional $35,000 will go to parents of students who died, and a smaller portion will go to siblings and grandparents.

PHOTO: The Week In Pictures
Submersible vessels attempt to salvage the sunken Sewol ferry in waters off Jindo-gun, South Korea, March 24, 2017. The Sewol sank off the Jindo Island in April 2014 leaving more than 300 people dead.
Lee Myeong-Ik-Pool/Getty Images

On April 16, 2014, the Sewol ferry sank on its way from Incheon to Jeju Island. There were 476 people on the ferry at the time, including 325 students from Danwon High School. Five of the passengers were never found.

An investigation later determined that the boat was over capacity.

PHOTO: Passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast are rescued by coast guard crews, April 16, 2014.
Passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast are rescued by coast guard crews, April 16, 2014.
Yonhap/AP

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