As the entire nation mourns the loss of those who were onboard the ill-fated ferry, Korean
authorities are broadening their investigation on what exactly happened on the day of the
ferry capsize... and who is resonsible for this man-made disaster.
Several people, including the captain and the crew of the Sewol-ho ferry, have been
arrested... and yesterday... one of the arrested crew members said... the crew DID make an
attempt to release some of the life floats but failed... because it was impossible to
get near them.
But screenshots from the scene of the disaster appear to counter those claims.
For more, we connect to our Laah Hyun-kyung at the news center.
Hyun-kyung.
This is what a crew member said yesterday.
Take a look.
"We tried but couldn't get near the life floats.
We really did try but it was so slippery that we couldn't get there."
But the pictures released suggest otherwise.
While the crew members are busy getting onto rescue boats,... a coast guard official is
hanging tight on to the guardrail, trying to release the life floats.
And he succeeded.
The official was able to kick two of the life floats into the sea.
There were more than 40 life floats on the Sewol-ho ferry.
And these pictures will likely make people ask even more 'what if' questions.
Also, the now-arrested crew members claimed... the ship was listed 90 degrees when the crew
were told to evacuate,... but those pictures show that it was only listed about 50 degrees.
So you can imagine how this will fuel even more anger, not only among the affected family
members but also the general public as well.
And more crew members are now in custody.
Yes, 11 out of the 15 crew members who all survived now face criminal charges.
Among those is the captain -- Captain Lee Joon-suk.
He is charged with five offenses including negligence of duty and violating ship crew
law, which mandates the crew to secure the safety of all passengers in emergency situations.
The joint investigation team composed of prosecutors and police officers are also looking into
charging some of the crew with homicide by omission -- that's when INaction of the defendent
results in someone's death.
Investigators say some of the crew have shown signs of regret -- admitting to their mistakes
and saying, in hindsight, they should have taken rescue measures.
And as for finding out the exact cause of the sinking,... investigators are planning
on running a simulation but experts say it will take at least 6 months because basic
data including the vessel's floor plans and speed will have to be gathered before they
build a model ship.
And all of that will only be possible AFTER the ship is salvaged.
And it's not just the crew members that are in
prosecutors' sights.
How's the investigation on the ferry's operator -- the Chonghaejin Marine Company progressing?
The special prosecutorial investigative team raided some ten offices and homes of the practical
owner of the operator, Yoo Byung-eon earlier today.
Prosecutors are closely looking into whether Yoo and his two sons, have evaded taxes or
embezzled funds by making illegal foreign transactions.
Yoo's two sons are the biggest shareholders of the ferry operator's holding company.
And the Yoo family is said to own assets worth more than 230-million dollars - excluding
debt and assets kept outside of the country.
The National Tax Service yesterday also launched a special probe into four firms that are closely
working with Chonghaejin Marine Company.
Dozens of personnel including Yoo and the two sons are currently under a travel ban
imposed by the prosecution.