Prosecutors have demanded three years in prison, the highest penalty under the current law, for the captains of three ships involved in South Korea's worst oil spill ever late last year.
The demand was made late Wednesday at a branch of the Daejeon District Court in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province.
On Dec. 7 last year, a barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries, carrying a crane, was separated from its two tugboats and collided with Hebei Spirit, an oil tanker owned by the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit Shipping off Taean in the same province. The accident caused more than 12,000 tons of crude oil to leak into the West Sea.
The oil spill caused extensive damage in the ecologically pristine region, destroying fish farms and polluting parks and beaches.
Meanwhile, the prosecution asked the court to fine Samsung Heavy and Hebei Spirit 30 million won each.