(VOVworld) - South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced Kim Han-sik, president of the Chonghaejin Marine Company, to seven years in prison over last year’s Sewol sinking that killed more than 300 people.

Kim Han-sik has been jailed for seven years over the Sewol ferry disaster. Photograph: AP

The highest court upheld a lower court ruling that had been issued in May 2015. The court found Kim responsible for failing to prevent the overloading of cargo and improper storage on the ship that judges said contributed to the sinking.

Four other Chonghaejin officials were sentenced to two-and-a-half to four years in prison on similar charges, the court said in a statement.