(VOVworld) – South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has apologized for her government's failure to prevent a ferry disaster that left some 300 people dead and missing.

April 29, 2014: South Korean President Park Geun-hye pays tribute to the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol at a group memorial altar in Ansan, south of Seoul.

Her apology came following the recent resignation of her Prime Minister Chung Hong-won. Park committed to establish a new government agency to handle large-scale accidents. Park's government has been widely criticized over lax safety standards that may have led to the disaster. There were also claims that the ferry was overloaded and the passenger list was inaccurate and incomplete. Relatives of more than 100 missing passengers criticized the government’s response to the sinking, saying delays in launching the rescue cost lives.