Captain Lee Joon-seok has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of more than 300 people in the sinking of the Sewol ferry in April.

69-year-old Lee reportedly stated that he ordered the ship to be abandoned but that the order was not followed. Despite Lee's claims, prosecutors are saying that this contradicts what he had previously told the police, according to BBC News.

During his trial, Captain Lee reportedly continuously told the court that he was "confused and not in his normal state of mind" when the Sewol ferry sank, according to BBC's Stephen Evans in Gwangju.

Days after the Sewol ferry had capsized, South Korea's President Park Geun-hye stated that the captain and his crew's actions were "unforgivable" and murderous," according to TIME.

Most of those who died were teenagers heading to Jeju for a field trip. Parents and relatives of some of the deceased teenagers reportedly attended the trial.

Investigators have reportedly stated that a combination of cargo overloading, illegal modification of the vessel and inexperienced helmsmanship was responsible for the tragedy. A less-experienced crew member was reportedly steering the ship when the vessel shifted sharply to one side.

Eleven other members of the crew are facing trial on lesser charges while the captain along with three other crew members are facing homicide charges for allegedly failing to protect passengers by being among the first group of people to leave when the ferry was sinking, according to the Irish Independent.

Lee reportedly told a court trial today that he will continue to pray for the souls of the dead people until he dies, according to Yonhap news agency.