South Korean President Park Geun-Hye took tearful responsibility Monday for the mishandling of last month’s Sewol ferry disaster, admitting many lives were lost unnecessarily and vowing to dismantle the national coastguard.
“The ultimate responsibility for the poor response to this accident lies with me,” Park said in a televised address to the nation, during which she wept openly and twice bowed deeply in a display of contrition.
Park’s popularity ratings have been hammered by the April 16 disaster that claimed around 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren.
She has voiced regret several times, but Monday’s address was the first time she has explicitly accepted direct responsibility for what has become a defining moment of her presidency.
“As the president responsible for the lives and safety of South Koreans, I offer my sincere apology for all the suffering,” she said.
Prime Minister Chung Hong-Won resigned last month over the disaster, and while there have been few calls for Park to step down, she has been criticised for not displaying enough sympathy or remorse.
Towards the end of her 30-minute address, Park’s voice choked with emotion and tears ran down her face as she described the heroic actions of some of the victims who died trying to save others.
She highlighted the failure of the coastguard’s immediate response to the tragedy and acknowledged the complaints of the victims’ relatives that many more lives might have been saved.
“I have decided to dismantle the coastguard,” she said, adding that its roles would be split between the police and a newly created ministry of national safety.
