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State prosecutors in Gwangju blamed chief executive Kim Han Sik and four managers of Chonghaejin Marine Co today for last years sinking of a South Korean ferry that left over 300 people dead.
They said that the carnage had been caused by overloading the ship with poorly stowed cargo after a risky redesign.
The company had also neglected safety by neglecting spending last year on crew training.
The defendants countered that the cause of the April disaster wasn’t yet clear.
The five had been expected to plead at yesterday’s preliminary hearing, but lawyers said that they needed more time and would submit written pleas in three weeks.
In contrast to last week’s hearing when 15 crew members were charged with negligence and bereaved family members heckled and screamed at them throughout, spectators listened quietly yesterday.
When Judge Lim Joung Youb asked if relatives of the victims were present, no hands were raised.