Park
Geun-Hye, whose PM resigned over sinking, says government should have fixed
'long-running evils' that caused it
theguardian.com - AFP, Seoul, Tuesday 29 April 2014
South Korea's president has apologised for her government's failure to prevent a ferry disaster that left some 300 people dead or missing.
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| Park Geun-hye at a memorial altar in Ansan for victims of the ferry disaster. Photograph: AP |
South Korea's president has apologised for her government's failure to prevent a ferry disaster that left some 300 people dead or missing.
Two days after
her prime minister resigned over the tragedy, Park Geun-Hye voiced profound
regret at the systemic and regulatory failings that contributed to the capsize
of the 6,825-tonne Sewol on 16 April.
"I
feel so regretful for having been unable to correct such long-running evils and
letting an accident like this take place," she said in a statement to her
cabinet that was broadcast on national television.
Park's
government has been widely criticised over perceived corruption and lax safety
standards that may have led to the disaster, with claims that the ferry was
overloaded and the passenger list inaccurate and incomplete.
Relatives
of the more than 100 passengers still missing have blasted the response to the
sinking, saying delays in launching the rescue cost lives.
"I
don't know how to apologise for the failure to prevent this accident and for
the insufficient first response," Park said.
"I am
sorry to the people and heavy-hearted that many precious lives were lost."
Earlier on
Tuesday the president had travelled to Ansan, south of Seoul, where she paid
her respects to a memorial for the hundreds of schoolchildren who died in the
disaster.
Of the 476
people on board the Sewol, 325 were students from the same high school in
Ansan. Only 75 of the students were rescued.
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