Captain who canceled rescue call sentenced to prison in appeal trial

A 40-year-old captain, who repeatedly canceled rescue requests for a 50-year-old crew member seriously injured while fishing, leading to the crew member's eventual death, has been sentenced to prison in the appeal trial.

The injured crew member had urgently requested several times for help, crying out "save me," but the coast guard believed the captain's words that “it’s unnecessary to come,” which caused a shocking delay in their response.

According to a comprehensive report by News1 on the 27th, Captain A (48) was indicted on charges of abandonment leading to death after abandoning crew member B (59) at sea off the coast of Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, around 9:43 AM on November 29, 2023.

Shocking circumstances of the incident and obstruction of rescue requests

Crew member B was involved in an accident at sea around 8:14 PM on the 28th of the same month when he got caught in the fishing gear along with the netting equipment.

At the time of the accident, B was in such a severe condition that he couldn't lift himself or walk, and he complained of extreme pain in his legs.

The events from the moment of the accident until the victim's death were shocking. B continuously requested help from 119 and the maritime police, saying, “My legs are badly injured; it hurts a lot,” but Captain A intervened and nullified all these requests.

During a phone call with the maritime police situation room, A said, “The victim only says his legs hurt. He’s not seriously injured. He was already someone with leg problems. He can’t go now, but I will have him treated tomorrow morning,” thus canceling the rescue.

When the maritime police situation room asked A to “switch to the victim,” A transferred the call to another crew member who was not B, and that crew member said, "It's okay."

The court determined that the maritime police situation room misunderstood a third-party victim as the actual victim.

Repeated rescue requests and the tragic conclusion

After finishing the call with A, the situation room informed the coast guard that “both the captain and the patient had spoken, and there is no need to move,” issuing a return order.

As the coast guard did not arrive, B made another phone call to the coast guard around 11:05 PM.

At a similar time, when a firefighter, dispatched due to another 119 call, called B due to a misunderstanding of the report, A, who answered the phone, refused the rescue, stating, “I’ve discussed canceling the emergency response with the situation room.”

In a desperate situation, B called the coast guard again at 4:05 AM on the 29th, asking, “Why aren’t you coming? What if you don’t come by now?” to which the coast guard only replied that he should “talk to the captain” and told A to “explain it convincingly to the victim.”

Ultimately, B was left unattended on the deck for about 12 hours before he passed away.

An autopsy revealed that B suffered severe injuries, including fractures of nine ribs and pelvic bones, multiple injuries to the torso, and internal abdominal bleeding, due to the netting accident.

Court judgment and future outlook

The first trial sentenced A to three years in prison, and the 2nd Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Ui-young) dismissed appeals from both A and the prosecutor on the 24th, who argued for "excessive sentencing."

The appellate court stated, "The defendant canceled the coast guard's dispatch, preventing the victim from receiving help from 119 and the coast guard. Considering all evidence, it is recognized that there was at least implied intent for abandonment leading to death.”

The court also explained, “While the defendant has belatedly confessed and shown remorse, given the seriousness of the offense, the original sentence is within a reasonable range of discretion.”

A has filed a Supreme Court appeal against the appellate court's decision.

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