South Korea PM quits over ferry disaster

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has tendered his resignation, after becoming a lightning rod for criticism of the government’s response to the Sewol ferry disaster.

Divers are still recovering bodies from the wreck, with the death toll from the April 16 sinking expected to reach 302, mostly schoolchildren. 

The tragedy has captured national attention far more than any other event during President Park Geun-hye’s 14-month tenure, and has produced what appears to be the most serious threat so far to her government’s popularity.

“I’d like to apologise for the mishandling of a slew of problems, from preventive measures before the accident to the government’s initial response and follow-up steps over the accident,” Mr Chung told reporters.

“Witnessing the pain of families of the victims and the grief and anger of the people, I think the right thing for me to do is to take all responsibility and resign.”

Mr Chung had been criticised for supposedly showing insufficient sympathy in his treatment of the Sewol victims’ relatives. After being heckled at a meeting with them, Mr Chung attempted to leave but was blocked by angry relatives, with at least one person throwing a bottle of water at him.

But his departure will not silence criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis, which has already damaged Ms Park’s popularity. Her showing in opinion polls had been consistently strong ever since her perceived firm response to elevated tensions with North Korea in spring 2013. Yet her approval rating fell from 71 per cent to 56.5 per cent between April 18 and 23, according to the research group Realmeter.

Critics have claimed that a lack of clear emergency protocol slowed down the official response to the disaster, while attacking errors such as the return this week of some students’ bodies to the wrong families.

Families of the victims have complained about their treatment by the police, after they were blocked from travelling to Seoul to hold a protest – a “totally illegal” action, according to the South Korean group Lawyers for Human Rights.

As public anger mounted, Ms Park responded by condemning the captain and other members of the crew, saying that their actions were “tantamount to murder”. This statement prompted further criticism that she was attempting to deflect blame from the government and that she risked prejudicing any future trials.

All 15 surviving crew members involved in navigating the ferry have now been arrested on suspicion of negligence, the Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing a prosecutor. Meanwhile, financial regulators are pursuing an investigation with tax and customs authorities into Chonghaejin Marine, the owner of the Sewol, over suspicions of tax evasion and illegal currency transactions.