On October 8 at the Gwangju District Court, Sewol Ferry Captain Lee Joon Seok acknowledged that he deserved punishment. However, he denied that he killed the Sewol victims intentionally.

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Upon being asked by the Chief Prosecuting Attorney Lim Jung Yeob how the crew felt being responsible for the death of hundreds of passengers, the lawyer of the 15 crewmen replied, "They have sinned greatly. They were wrong."

Lee Joon Seok, captain of the Sewol ferry, spoke up, saying that he was not admitting to his wrongdoings in order to receive a light punishment. "I understand that even if I acknowledge one or two of the charges I will not be able to leave prison; at this, I have no complaints or dissatisfactions," he said. He clarified that he did have one complaint about a particular charge however, saying, "Only I did not think of intentionally murdering the victims even for a single moment."

He continued, "No matter how much the lawyer assists me, or how much God assists me, I know that I can't leave prison, but I cannot listen to the sounds of my children and grandchildren being called a murderer's family for their whole lives." He asked incredulously, "How could I have left these people to die and ran away with the intention of neglecting them?" indicating that he found the accusation against him to be ridiculous.

When asked if he acknowledged his other charges and would accept punishment, Lee Joon Seok stated, "Aside from just that part [homicide charge], I will acknowledge all the charges and accept punishment."

He continued to apologize to those affected by the tragedy, saying, "To the Danwon High School students, citizens, and grieving families, I sincerely bow my head in apology and will pray for the souls of the deceased until the day I die." He then addressed his crew members, saying, "To my fellow crewmen who were blamed for my incompetence with me in a trial, I don't think I can ever redeem my sins [against you]."

When asked if he believed he grossly neglected to tell his passengers to evacuate, Lee Joon Seok denied it and stated, "I definitely did [tell them to evacuate]." He claims that although he had given the command to evacuate, it had fallen on deaf ears and was not followed through. He also claims that he was in a state of confusion during the ship's capsizing, as he had even fainted for a brief moment before crawling out half-conscious to the maritime police.