Sewol ferry captain Lee Joon-Seok was acquitted of murder, avoiding a death sentence, but was sentenced to 36 years in jail on November 11 for his role in the maritime disaster that killed more than 300.
(CNN) -- A month after the Sewol ferry sank, leaving 284 people dead and 20 missing, the incident set off a bout of national soul searching in South Korea over what went wrong.
Much of the blame has fallen on the ferry's crew, who scrambled to safety while the passengers were told repeatedly to stay put. Four of them have been charged with murder, prosecutors told CNN Thursday. The company's CEO has also been charged with "causing death by negligence, as well as causing the capsizing of the ship in the line of duty."
Beyond the ferry's owners and crew, the sinking has spurred a debate about governmental oversight and what preventive measures could've been taken. The South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, said in a speech on April 21: "This accident is highlighting many problems. First, the ship's introduction (how it came into the country), inspections, operational permits must be examined."
The reckoning over the accident has been a bitter one. Here is a look at some of the suspected factors behind the tragedy:
1. South Korean investigators: Sewol was overloaded
The passenger ferry was carrying more than double the ship's limit when it capsized, according to South Korean investigators.
Since Chonghaejin Marine Company started the Incheon to Jeju route in March 2013, 57% of its trips carried excess cargo (139 times out of 241 trips), according to the prosecutors. The company profited from overloading the ferry, earning an extra profit of $2.9 million since March 2013, investigators say.
Too much cargo contributed to sinking, police say
2. Prosecutors: Cargo on the ferry was not properly secured
Investigators have been probing the possibility the ship overturned because of a sharp turn that may have shifted the cargo, knocking the vessel off balance. Witnesses have described how several containers fell over and made booming sounds as they tumbled off balance.
Loosely tied goods contributed to the Sewol's sinking, because the cargo hadn't been tied properly, senior prosecutor Yang Joong-jin said earlier this month.
"The lashing devices that should have held cargo goods steady were loose, and some of the crew members did not even know" how to use them correctly, Yang said.
3. Crew insisted passengers stay put
"Please do not move from your location," the ferry's loudspeakers blared at those on board. "Absolutely do not move."
This type of warning was heard repeatedly as the Sewol began its descent into the water. Hundreds of passengers, unable to tell what was happening, complied. The instruction to remain in place, instead of getting on lifeboats, has been described as "terribly, tragically wrong," by one CNN analyst.
It's unclear why the crew made this determination, which remains one of the most haunting and perplexing questions surrounding the incident.
A transcript of the communication between Sewol and the local authority shows that the decision was made fairly early. At 9:00 a.m., the Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Center told an unidentified crew member: "Please put on the life vests and get ready as people may have to abandon ship."
The Sewol crew member immediately replied: "It is hard for people to move."
During communications with the local traffic services center that lasted until 9:38 a.m., the unidentified crew member repeatedly asserted that passengers could not reach life rafts or rescue boats because "they can't move... the vessel has listed."(From transcript)
4. The captain abandoned ship, while passengers were told not to move.
Capt. Lee Joon-seok of the Sewol has come under heavy criticism for abandoning the ship while hundreds of passengers remained on board. Pictures of the captain in what looks like his underwear hopping into the arms of the rescuer infuriated the nation.
President Park Geun-hye described the crew's actions as being "like murder." Lee is now facing murder charges. He initially defended the decision saying that he had everyone "stand by and wait for the rescue boat to arrive."
"The tidal current was strong and water temperature was cold, and there was no rescue boat," he told reporters last month. "So I had everyone stand by and wait for the rescue boat to arrive."
5. Inexperienced crew member steered the ship.
Authorities have questioned why an inexperienced third mate was guiding the ship at the time of the accident.
That third mate is also facing charges of not abiding by emergency safety law, negligence which led to the ship sinking and causing injuries leading to deaths.
The captain was not at helm at the time of the accident. There is no law requiring the captain to be on the bridge when the third mate is steering, but that an inexperienced member of the crew was navigating in one of the most treacherous stretches of the trip has raised questions.
The third mate denied making a sharp turn a few days after the accident and said, "The steering turned much more than usual. There are aspects where I made mistakes but for some reason the steering turned so much faster than usual."
6. Delays on notifying proper authorities of the accident
The first distress call came not from the ship's crew, but instead from a boy on board who used a cell phone to contact emergency services at 8:52 a.m. His call to emergency services gave rescuers a few extra minutes to get to the stricken Sewol as it is listed dangerously before capsizing.
Three minutes later, the ship's crew made a distress to authorities in Jeju -- which was the ship's destination rather than near its accident site. The miscommunication may have caused delays.
7. Ship's modifications raise questions
The Sewol had been renovated in 2013 to expand the top floor to make room for more passengers.
The 20-year-old ship was originally used in Japan, until Chonghaejin Marine Co. purchased the ferry in 2012 and refurbished it. Chonghaejin added extra passenger cabins on the third, fourth and fifth decks, raising passenger capacity and altering the weight and balance of the vessel.
Investigators want to know if the renovations may have made the ferry more likely to capsize or raised the ship's center of gravity. The South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced in late April that it would ask lawmakers to consider legislation prohibiting modifications to ships to increase passenger capacity. The government plans to take away the company's licenses for all its routes, including the one on which the Sewol sank, according to an official at the ministry.
CNN's Kyung Lah, KJ Kwon, Judy Kwon, Paula Hancocks, Jung-eun Kim, Frances Cha and Stella Kim contributed to this report.
Shoes believed to belong to the missing and the deceased are on display at the harbor.
Jindo harbor, where the search operation is based, has become a memorial for those who lost their lives. Yellow ribbons and photos are displayed as people come to pay their respects.
A joint government-civilian task force is still looking for the missing, but winter is fast approaching.
Ten are still missing from tragic ferry sinking last April, which killed more than 300. Six months later, families are still waiting for their loved ones to be found. The parents of 16-year-old Huh Da-yoon, pictured, are among them.
The families of the ten who remain missing have been waiting in Jindo Indoor Gymnasium since the first day. Families can watch search mission in real time on a large monitor in the gym.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye weeps while delivering a speech to the nation about the sunken ferry Sewol at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, May 19. More than 200 bodies have been found and nearly 100 people remain missing after the ferry sank April 16 off South Korea's southwest coast.
Police in Seoul detain a protester during a march Saturday, May 17, for victims of the Sewol.
A girl in Seoul holds a candle during a service paying tribute to the victims of the Sewol on Wednesday, April 30.
People pay tribute to victims at a memorial altar in Ansan, South Korea, on Tuesday, April 29.
A police officer holds an umbrella for a relative of a missing ferry passenger Monday, April 28, in Jindo, South Korea.
South Korean Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade in Seoul on Saturday, April 26, to honor the memory of the dead and the safe return of the missing.
Divers search for people in the waters near Jindo on April 26.
People in Ansan attend a memorial for the victims on April 26.
A diver jumps into the sea near the sunken ferry on Friday, April 25.
A relative of a passenger weeps while waiting for news of his missing loved one at a port in Jindo on April 25.
People attend a memorial for the victims at the Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan on Thursday, April 24.
Yellow ribbons honoring the victims flap in the wind as a hearse carrying a victim's body leaves Danwon High School in Ansan on April 24. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.
People attend a memorial for the victims at Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan.
Search personnel dive into the sea on Wednesday, April 23.
Flares light up the search area on Tuesday, April 22.
The sun sets over the site of the sunken ferry on April 22.
A relative of a ferry passenger prays as she waits for news in Jindo on April 22.
The search for victims continues April 22 in the waters of the Yellow Sea.
Rescue workers in Jindo carry the body of a passenger on Monday, April 21.
Divers jump into the water on April 21 to search for passengers near the buoys that mark the site of the sunken ferry.
Search operations continue as flares illuminate the scene near Jindo on Sunday, April 20.
Relatives of missing passengers grieve April 20 in Jindo.
Relatives of passengers look out at the sea from Jindo on April 20.
Police officers in Jindo stand guard Saturday, April 19, to prevent relatives of the ferry's missing passengers from jumping in the water. Some relatives said they will swim to the shipwreck site and find their missing family members by themselves.
Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium on April 19.
South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.
Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea.
A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.
A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.
A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17.
Family members of passengers aboard the sunken ferry gather at a gymnasium in Jindo on April 17.
The body of a victim is moved at a hospital in Mokpo on April 17.
Relatives of a passenger cry at a port in Jindo on April 17 as they wait for news on the rescue operation.
South Korean coast guard members and rescue teams search for passengers at the site of the sunken ferry on April 17.
A relative of a passenger cries as she waits for news on Wednesday, April 16.
Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.
Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.
A relative waits for a missing loved one at the port in Jindo.
Parents at Danwon High School search for names of their children among the list of survivors. Ansan is a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital.
Helicopters hover over the ferry as rescue operations continue April 16.
Officials escort rescued passengers April 16 in Jindo.
A passenger is helped onto a rescue boat on April 16.
A passenger is rescued from the sinking ship on April 16.
