SEOUL
South Korean President Park Geun-hye apologized for the first time Tuesday for what she described as the administration’s “failure” to prevent and deal with the sinking of the Sewol ferry earlier this month.
"I am sorry to the people and heavy hearted that many precious lives were lost," she told a Cabinet meeting.
Park also spoke of her regret at the government’s “insufficient initial response in order to comfort the pains and sufferings” of the families of the more than 300 dead or missing.
The South Korean leader vowed to overhaul her country’s safety system and to create a government agency to deal with any such future incidents.
Families of the 476 people on board have accused the government of taking insufficient action to rescue victims when the 6,825-ton ferry first showed signs of sinking. The ship's crew, including the captain, was among the first to be rescued.
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won offered his resignation Sunday, holding himself responsible for the poor response.
The death toll in the sinking - which occurred off the southwestern island of Jindo - reached 193 on Tuesday with divers discovering four more bodies. 109 people remain unaccounted for.
As the search for those caught in the submerged ferry’s wreckage continued for a 15th day, rescue teams were hampered by rising tides and strong currents.
The captain and 14 key members of his crew are under arrest on multiple charges, including negligence of duty for evacuating with hundreds of passengers still on board.
The Sewol’s owner company, Chonghaejin Marine, is also under investigation as police and prosecutors aim to discover the cause behind the accident on the morning of April 16.
The last major South Korean ferry disaster was in 1993, when 292 of 362 passengers died in the Yellow Sea in North Jeolla Province.
With 193 confirmed dead and 109 still missing the Sewol stands to rank among the worst - if not the worst - of the Asian nation's shipping disasters.
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