South Korea's Supreme Court said Thursday it has upheld a seven-year jail sentence for the head of the sunken ferry Sewol operator for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of more than 300 people.

Kim Han-sik, chief executive officer of Chonghaejin Marine Co., was convicted of not properly checking the safety conditions of the ferry despite being briefed that the ship's ability to balance itself was compromised.

The 73-year-old chief was also convicted of embezzling company funds worth some 2.8 billion won (US$2.44 million) and was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won.

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol sank in waters off the country's southwestern coast on April 16 last year, killing a total of 304 people, mostly high school students on a school trip.

(Yonhap)