The South Korean coast guard has released video footage showing the captain of a ferry that sunk earlier this month, as he abandons the vessel with hundreds of passengers still on board.

Lee Joon Seok, 69, is seen leaping from the top of the capsized ship onto a rescue boat, while wearing only his underwear and a jumper.

Other crew members are helped out of the146-meter (480-foot) vessel, the Sewol, and brought to safety by a rescue team before the ship plunges deeper into the waters.

Coast guard official Kim Kyung-il said the crew members failed to identify themselves as such to rescuers.