Ms Park said that the government had failed to prevent the disaster and bungled¹（弄糟） its emergency response.

 

Her apology comes amid ongoing² work to retrieve³ bodies from the sunken（沉没的） hull⁴.

 

The ferry sank with 476 people aboard - most of them high school students and teachers - off South Korea on 16 April. A total of 174 were rescued. 

 

The remainder have been confirmed dead or missing presumed drowned. 

 

Officials have retrieved⁵ almost 200 bodies and divers⁶ are continuing to search for those still unaccounted for. 

 

"I don't know how to apologise for the failure to prevent this accident, and for the insufficient⁷ first response," Ms Park said in the statement.

 

"I am sorry to the people and heavy-hearted that many precious lives were lost."

 

Ms Park's apology comes amid mounting public anger and criticism over the disaster. Most of those on board were on a trip from Danwon high school in Ansan, south of Seoul. 

 

President Park had earlier paid her respects at a memorial altar set up near the school. Local media reports said she was heckled by angry family members. 

 

Attention has focused on why so few people were evacuated⁸ from the stricken vessel⁹, and on the possibly negligence¹⁰ of the captain and crew. 

 

On Sunday, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won offered his resignation over the disaster. 

 

In her statement, Ms Park she would create a new government agency to handle large-scale accidents, Yonhap news agency reported.

 

The national safety ministry¹¹ would also be placed under the prime minister's office, the agency said.

 

"We should have a firm determination to make the entire safety system from scratch," Ms Park said.

 

"The entire Cabinet should come up with safety measures for the people with an attitude to remodel¹² the country from square one."

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