Claim The sinking is an unsolved mystery.
Timeline beat 1994 — Built in Japan
The capsize mechanism and the crew’s departure are tried facts. Status is convicted, not unsolved.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety82
Mystery35
Scale80
Evidence75
Legal impact78
Culture70
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Quick answers
When did MV Sewol sink?
The ferry listed and capsized on the morning of 16 April 2014 in the Yellow Sea near Jindo, on the Incheon–Jeju route. It had left Incheon the previous night.
How many people died?
Korean official accounting used in the trials is 304 dead or missing out of 476 aboard, with 172 rescued. About 250 of the dead were Danwon High School students. Early search tallies of recovered bodies and still-missing persons shifted by single digits as the salvage continued.
Who was convicted?
Captain Lee Joon-seok received a life sentence, upheld by the Supreme Court on 12 November 2015, for homicide by wilful negligence and related counts. Other crew received terms from about 18 months to 12 years on the final appeal path. Some Coast Guard and regulatory officials were separately convicted or dismissed.
What caused the capsize?
Courts and investigation bodies pointed to a combination of a sharp turn, excess and poorly secured cargo, reduced stability after rebuilding, and insufficient ballast — not a wartime act and not a single unexplained hole.
Why did passengers stay inside?
Repeated announcements told them to wait. The captain did not issue a timely abandon-ship order. The Supreme Court treated that omission, plus the crew’s departure, as the core of the homicide-by-wilful-negligence finding.
When was the ship raised?
The hull was brought up on 23 March 2017 and later moved for examination and memorial use. Salvage was meant to recover remaining missing people and to preserve the ship as evidence.
The sailing is one night and one morning. The legal and salvage timeline runs three years in public view.
English anniversary pieces often skip the 2012 rebuild, which Korean investigators did not.
Timeline
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
- Built in Japan
The hull enters service as Ferry Naminoue before its later sale to a Korean operator.
- Rebuilt as Sewol
Chonghaejin Marine converts the ship, adding structure that later reports tied to reduced stability.
- Leaves Incheon late
The Jeju sailing departs behind schedule with a school party and commercial cargo aboard.
- Capsizes off Jindo
The list begins in the morning in the Maenggol Channel. 172 people are rescued; 304 are later counted dead or missing.
- National mourning
Yellow ribbons, family sit-ins and the resignation offer of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won dominate Korean public life.
- Owner identified dead
Police announce that a body found in June is Yoo Byung-eun, the fugitive owner figure.
- First crew verdicts
A district court sentences Lee Joon-seok to 36 years for negligence and acquits him of homicide.
- Life for homicide
Gwangju High Court convicts the captain of homicide by wilful negligence and imposes life imprisonment.
- Supreme Court affirms
The life sentence and the wilful-negligence homicide theory are upheld. Other crew terms are also settled on appeal.
- Hull raised
Salvage lifts Sewol so remaining missing persons can be sought and the ship examined as a whole exhibit.
Claim versus timeline
Each public-record claim on this dossier sits beside the timeline chapter already on the page.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
Claim A foreign attack sank the ship.
Timeline beat 2012–13 — Rebuilt as Sewol
No court found an attack. The file is stability, cargo, a turn and command failure.
Claim The president steered the ferry.
Timeline beat 15 Apr 2014 — Leaves Incheon late
Park Geun-hye’s delayed appearance is a political scandal. It is not the navigational cause.
Claim Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide.
Timeline beat 16 Apr 2014 — Capsizes off Jindo
The homicide-by-wilful-negligence theory stuck to the captain. Other crew were convicted mainly of negligence and abandonment.
Beat weight marks
Mark each timeline beat already on this dossier as supported, contested or unknown, using the public-record claims already filed here. Not a verdict.
Editorial marks on this device only. Public-record encyclopedia — not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
| Timeline beat | Supported / Contested / Unknown |
|---|---|
| 1994 — Built in Japan Claim already on file: The sinking is an unsolved mystery. | |
| 2012–13 — Rebuilt as Sewol Claim already on file: A foreign attack sank the ship. | |
| 15 Apr 2014 — Leaves Incheon late Claim already on file: The president steered the ferry. | |
| 16 Apr 2014 — Capsizes off Jindo Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| Apr–May 2014 — National mourning Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| Jul 2014 — Owner identified dead Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| Nov 2014 — First crew verdicts Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| Apr 2015 — Life for homicide Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| 12 Nov 2015 — Supreme Court affirms Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. | |
| 23 Mar 2017 — Hull raised Claim already on file: Everyone on the crew was convicted of homicide. |
After 2017 the ship is an object on land. The captain’s conviction was already final.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.