A court in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, issued an arrest warrant for the woman, surnamed Hong, on charges of defamation.
In an interview with the MBN cable channel on April 16, Hong, pretending to be a civilian licensed diver, had claimed that the Coast Guard blocked civilian divers from conducting search-and-rescue operations and told them just to “kill time.”
She also agrued that some other (civilian) divers had confirmed survivors inside the sunken ferry and listened to their voice.
When asked whether she admits to her wrongdoings before the issuance of the arrest warrant, Hong apologized for her false claim, saying that “I’m sorry for......”
The ferry Sewol sank in waters off Jindo on April 16 on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon, west of Seoul, to Jeju Island. Of the 476 passengers and crew on board, only 174 people have been rescued. The death toll rose to 150 as of Wednesday afternoon, with 152 still missing.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com