Moon apologizes for ferry sinking, vows to find out truth

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed his sincere apology for the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 and vowed to find out the truth behind the tragedy which he said was caused partly because of government failure, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Moon made the apology on behalf of the government at a meeting with about 200 victims and their families at the presidential Blue House.

A general view shows the wreck of the Sewol ferry as it arrives mounted on a semi-submersible barge at a port in Mokpo on March 31, 2017. /AFP Photo

"Even now, the people do not know why such an absurd accident took place, why the government was so incompetent and irresponsible in dealing with the accident after it took place, and what Cheong Wa Dae was doing while so many children were dying. We do not know why (the former government) tried so hard to avoid and ignore fact-finding and why it took so much time to recover the ship," Yonhap cited the president as saying.

This handout photo provided and taken on March 28, 2017 by South Korean Maritime Ministry shows relatives of the victims of the 2014 ferry disaster looking at the damaged Sewol ferry during a memorial service on a ship off the coast of the southern South Korean island of Jindo. /AFP Photo

Moon pledged to find out answers to the above questions. "One thing for sure is that the government, no matter what the cause was, failed to prevent the tragedy. Though belated, I offer my apology and condolences on behalf of the government," he added.

"Finding the truth behind the Sewol incident is important to help relieve the deep sorrow of victims and their families, but it is also a necessary step for us to learn a lesson to build a safer nation where such a tragedy will never recur. I promise the government will do its utmost with the National Assembly under such a belief to find the truth," Moon told the meeting.

Visitors pray in front of portraits of victims of the 2014 South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster at a memorial altar in Seoul on May 25, 2017. /AFP Photo

The 6,8oo-ton vessel sank off the southwestern coast near Jindo Island on April 16 in 2014 and claimed the lives of 309 passengers, most of whom were high school students on a trip.

At the time, the government under former President Park Geun-hye faced fierce condemnation for its failure to promptly respond to the accident and Park was blamed for being out of contact for several hours on the day.

The vessel was raised from the sea and put into dry dock at a local port in April, with the assistance of a Chinese salvage company.

There is speculation that the ship was carrying too many iron bars to be used for the construction of a naval base on Jeju Island, among other overloading issues.

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