South Korean President Takes Responsibility for Sewol Ferry Sinking

On May 19, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye announced that she would take responsibility for the government's inadequate and untimely response to the Sewol ferry disaster more than a month ago, and announced that she would disband the country's criticized national coast guard.

In a nationally televised national address, Park Geun-Hye said the rescue operations of the Korean Coast Guard had failed in the recent ferry disaster, so she decided to disband the force.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has apologized to the people for the poor management and handling of the SEWOL ferry sinking. (Source: AFP/VNA)

She also sent her sincere apologies to all the people. She stressed: "I am the one who bears the highest responsibility for the poor response to this accident."

President Park Geun-Hye has apologized four times for the incident, but this is the first time she has taken direct responsibility. She also said that the police would conduct an investigation and that the Ministry of National Safety would be established to take charge of maritime patrol, control and rescue operations, as well as the entire duties of the Maritime Transport Control Center, which is currently under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The 6,825-ton ferry SEWOL, carrying 476 passengers, mostly high school students, capsized and sank off Jindo Island on April 16 while en route from the port city of Incheon to the resort island of Jeju.

Currently 286 passengers are confirmed dead, 18 people are still missing./.

According to VNA