SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s prime minister offered to resign Sunday over the sinking of a ferry, blaming “deep-rooted evils” and societal irregularities for a tragedy that has left more than 300 people dead or missing and led to widespread shame, fury and finger-pointing.
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won’s offer came as the government faced increasing anger from relatives of victims that it didn’t do enough to rescue or protect their loved ones.
South Korean executive power is concentrated in the president, Park Geun-hye, so the offer appears to be largely symbolic. There was no immediate word from Park about whether she would accept the resignation.
Chung was heckled by relatives and his car was blocked when he visited a shelter on an island near the site of the sinking.
On Saturday, all 15 people involved in navigating the ferry were in custody after authorities detained four more crew members, a prosecutor said. Yang Jung-jin of the joint investigation team said two helmsmen and two members of the steering crew were taken in on preliminary arrest warrants.
Ten days after the sinking, 187 bodies have been recovered and 115 people are thought to be missing. Only 174 people survived, including 22 of the 29 crew members.
