Early Edition 18:00
It′s Monday, October 27th here in Seoul.
Welcome to Early Edition at Six.
Live from Seoul I′m Hwang Ji-hye.
And I′m Daniel Choy.
Thanks for joining us.
Title: Prosecutors demand death penalty for Sewol-ho ferry captain
We begin with the ongoing trial for those responsible for April′s tragic Sewol-ho ferry disaster.
Today prosecutors demanded the death penalty for the captain, who was charged with negligent homicide,... and life in prison for other key crew members.
Kwon Soa starts us off.
The prosecution has spoken.
It is seeking the strongest punishment possible in Korean law for Sewol-ho ferry captain Lee Joon-seok: the death penalty.
They have also demanded life in prison for three key crew members and 15 to 30 years in prison for eleven others.
More than six months have passed since the tragic Sewol-ho ferry accident left more than 3-hundred passengers dead or missing... and after deliberating through 29 trial sessions and poring over 20-thousand pages of evidence, prosecutors have made their penalty requests for 15 crew members for charges of negligence of duty and violation of maritime law,... which demands they should have been the last to leave the ship.
The crew was accused of fleeing the ship without evacuating hundreds of passengers left on board, but repeatedly instructing them to stay put in their cabins.
After prosecutors indicted four senior crew members, including captain Lee Joon-seok, in May ...on charges of murder by willful negligence... the public′s attention has been focused on whether they would handed the death penalty.
Prior to Monday′s session, captain Lee was said to have wished for punishment, admitting to all of the charges against him, with the exception of murder.
Some families of the victims, who were in the gallery for Monday′s session, had earlier pleaded for the defendants to be charged with the maximum penalty possible.
Sentences are expected to be issued in the third week of next month.
Kwon Soa, Arirang News.
Title: As North Korea protests anti-Pyongyang leaflets, S. Korea calls for talks
The prospects for a planned round of high-level talks between the two Koreas remain very much in doubt.
South Korea has proposed meeting this Thursday,...
But instead of responding to the offer,... North Korea has lodged another protest against the anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns... being staged by South Korean activists.
Hwang Sung-hee reports.
Responding to North Korea′s protest against the latest anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaign, South Korea on Monday urged the North to come to a planned second round of high-level talks.
"We maintain the stance that the government has no legal grounds to ban activities by civic groups. North Korea should give its answer to our proposed date and place for the second round of high-level talks, which the two Koreas have previously agreed on."
Two weeks have passed since South Korea proposed holding the talks on October 30
