Sewol Captain Lee Joon-seok in his underwear is being rescued from the ship as it capsizes by first responders in this still from a video capturing the sinking of the ferry on April 16, which was released by the Coast Guard, Monday. While Lee and other crewmembers were taking flight, other footage shows few people on the decks, with hundreds of students heeding the crew's instructions and staying inside their cabins. Over 300 people, mostly students on a school trip, have been confirmed dead or listed as missing.

/ Yonhap





Captain in underwear captured jumping ship ahead of passengers

By Kim Da-ye

Captain Lee Joon-seok of the sunken ferry Sewol was seen sliding out of the ferry Sewol to be rescued ahead of other passengers in video clips released Monday by the Coast Guard.

By the time a rescue boat reached the front side of the ferry, the vessel was tilted about 60 degrees, making it difficult for passengers to get out of the vessel.

The video clips show Coast Guard officers throwing a rope to the steering house. Lee grabs the rope and slides off the tilted vessel, hanging onto the rope.

The 69-year-old captain wasn't wearing his uniform but a black long sleeve shirt and navy-colored underwear.

As he reached the guardrail of the ship, he cautiously stepped into the rescue boat, holding onto every part of the ship he could grab so that he did not fall into the water.

Next to Lee were 14 lifeboats, which he never bothered to release.

Using the same rope, several crewmembers slid down the tilted hull of the ship from the bridge and climbed onto the rescue boat.

The Coast Guard uploaded dozens of short video clips — together nearly 10 minutes long — taken between 9:28 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. by officers on the rescue boats.

The video clips show how slow and minimal the rescue efforts were in the early stages after the accident when most of the victims could have been saved.

When a rescue boat arrived there, one helicopter was hovering above the ferry. One high-speed rubber boat kept travelling between the listing ferry and a ship, carrying fewer than 10 people each trip.

A handful of people jumped from the ferry into the water, waiting to be saved.

A 15-minute-long recording obtained from the family of a dead Danwon High School student by a television station provided a stark contrast to the clips showing the crewmembers' cowardly, hasty evacuation. The TV station that obtained the recording released the audio only.

The student began recording in his room on the fourth deck of the vessel at 8:52 a.m. The students in the room weren't aware for some 10 minutes that the vessel was listing. As the vessel tilted more, students began looking for lifejackets.

"He doesn't have a lifejacket. He needs one," said one student.

"Wear mine," said another.

"What about you?"

"I am going to look for mine."

Around 9:06 a.m., an announcement was made, "Attention, please, the students and teachers of Danwon High School. Do not move from where you are and wait."

The students were confused. "Ah, they need to tell us what is going on," said one student.

"I don't know what is going on. If they tell us to wear lifejackets, doesn't that mean the ship is sinking?" said the other boy.

They then started worrying about their teacher, and the recording ended.

Korean Language

해경 공개 영상에 드러난 승무원들의 비정함

침몰하는 배에 승객 놔두고 가장 먼저 탈출, 코앞 구명벌도 작동시키지 않아

신분 숨기려 제복 벗고 평상복으로 갈아입어



해경은 28일 사고 당시 세월호 승무원들의 탈출 장면을 담은 10분짜리 영상을 공개했다.



이 영상에는 승무원들이 제복을 벗고 평상복으로 갈아입은 뒤 바로 코앞에 있던 구명벌도 작동시키지 않고 가장 먼저 도착한 구조정에 올라타고 도망가는 비겁한 모습이 고스란히 담겨있다.



목포해경 123정(100t급)은 16일 오전 8시 58분 상황실로부터 출동 명령을 받고 오전 9시 30분 30km 떨어진 사고현장에 가장 먼저 도착했다.



현장에 도착했을 때 세월호는 이미 왼쪽으로 50∼60도 기울어진 상태였다.



123정의 구조정이 세월호 좌현에 밀착하자 3층 복도에 있던 기관부원 7명이 옮겨 탔다.



동시에 조타실 옆에 밀착한 123정에는 조타실에 모여있던 선장 이준석(68)씨와 승무원 7명이 황급히 옮겨 탔다.



이들 모두 운항 중 반드시 입어야 하는 제복을 입지 않은 상태였다. 선장 이씨는 심지어 팬티 차림으로 옮겨 타는 모습이 그대로 드러났다.



이들이 구조정에 올라탈 당시 조타실 바로 옆에는 구명벌 46개가 있었지만 이를 작동시키려는 승무원들은 아무도 없었다.



123정의 목포해경 소속 이형래(37) 경사가 승무원들이 구조될 당시 홀로 기울대로 기운 갑판에서 안전핀이 뽑히지 않아 발로 차며 쇠줄에 묶인 구명벌을 떼어내려고 애쓰는 모습이 목격될 뿐이었다.



승무원들은 모두 123정에 모여 함께 구조된 승객 70여명과 함께 사고 현장을 가장 먼저 떠났다.



승무원들에 대한 구조 작업이 진행되는 와중에도 세월호에서 탈출해 바다로 뛰어드는 승객들의 모습이 보였다.



123정이 도착하고 20여분 만에 배는 90도 가까이 기울며 절반쯤은 바다로 가라앉았고 갑판에 설치된 컨테이너는 곧 바다로 떨어질 것처럼 위태로워 보였다.



침몰 직전 세월호 주변에는 헬기와 어선들까지 총동원돼 구조 작업을 벌이고 있었다.



구명환에 의지해 목숨을 구한 일부 승객은 123정으로 옮겨져 응급처치를 받는 모습도 생생하게 담겨 있었다.



현재 세월호 침몰 사고 관련 사망자는 188명, 실종자는 114명이며 시신이 수습된 사망자 186명은 가족에게 인도됐다. 주요 승무원(선박직원 8명) 15명은 모두 구조됐다. (연합뉴스)