Ferry disaster: South Korean prime minister resigns

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/27/ferry-disaster-south-korean-prime-minister-resigns

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The South Korean prime minister, Chung Hong-won, has offered his resignation after criticism of the government's response to the 16 April ferry disaster.

The Sewol ferry sank on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the traditional holiday island of Jeju. More than 300 people, most of them students and teachers from one high school on a field trip, have died or are missing and presumed dead.

There has been criticism that the pace of the recovery has been too slow, and that conflicting information has been given by the government.

"Keeping my post is too great a burden on the administration," a sombre Chung said in a brief announcement. "On behalf of the government, I apologise for many problems from the

prevention of the accident to the early handling of the disaster.

"There are too many irregularities and malpractices in parts of

society that have been with us too long and I hope those are corrected

so that accidents like this will not happen again."

Chung was booed and someone threw a water bottle at him when he visited grieving parents the day after the disaster.

President Park, who has the most power in government, was also booed by some of the relatives of the missing when she visited a gym where families of the missing were staying.

As the ferry sank children were told to stay put in their cabins

where they waited for further orders. The confirmed death toll on Sunday

was 187. All crew involved in the ferry's navigation have been arrested.