According to the reports, a district court initially sentenced the captain to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers. However, the ruling was later overturned by the appellate court and was increased to life imprisonment because the Gwangju High Court convicted the captain of homicide charges. 

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According to the reports, Lee committed homicide by willful negligence because he abandoned his ship without giving appropriate evacuation orders. As a captain, he is required by law to take necessary measures to rescue his passengers during such a crisis. 

On this day, 14 other crew members were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 12 years. The crew members received lighter sentences than the original sentencing they received back in November. 

Meanwhile, recent reports on the Sewol Ferry incident revealed that the South Korean government is making moves to salvage the ship off the country's southwest coast in hopes of revealing more details about the sinking.