SEOUL: South Korea on Tuesday named a former navy admiral to head a new public safety ministry created in response to the Sewol ferry tragedy in April that claimed more than 300 lives.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Security, to be officially launched on Wednesday, will oversee the response to all future land and sea disasters.
A major ministry with more than 10,000 staff, it will take over responsibilities previously shared by a number of state units, including the national coastguard which was disbanded in the wake of the Sewol tragedy.
Former admiral Park In-Yong will lead the new body, while ex-army general Lee Song-Ho has been appointed vice minister, the presidential Blue House announced.
Lee was credited with leading a successful mission in 2011 to rescue 21 sailors aboard a South Korean freighter hijacked by Somali pirates.
The 6,825-tonne Sewol was carrying 476 people when it capsized and sank on April 16 off the southern coast. Of the 304 who died, 250 were high school students on a school trip.
The official response to the disaster was widely criticised for being slow, uncoordinated and unfocused, and prompted President Park Geun-Hye to vow a complete overhaul of national safety standards.
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