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South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won offers resignation on Sunday over criticism of the government's response to the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster that has left nearly 300 people dead or missing.
"The right thing for me to do is to take responsibility and resign," Chung told a nationally-televised press conference, 11 days after one of the country's worst maritime disasters.
"Keeping my post is too great a burden on the administration," Chung said.
South Korea's presidential office later said President Park Geun-hye will accept the prime minister's resignation offer, but will wait until the disaster has been brought under control as rescue operation and dealing with the aftermath of the accident were the most urgent issue at present.
"President Park has decided to accept the resignation offer from Chung, who has taken responsibility for this incident," presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said at a press conference.
The prime minister apologized on behalf of the government for the deadly accident and its less-than-effective early response measures.
"There are too many irregularities and malpractices in parts of society that have been with us too long and I hope those are corrected so that accidents like this will not happen again."
Chung was hit by a water bottle thrown by angry families of the missing passengers the day after the disaster when he visited the gym on Jindo Island where friends and relatives of the passengers gathered.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the co-leader of South Korea's main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, criticized Chung's resignation offer was "an irresponsible act" and "a cowardly attempt to evade the situation."
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Chung's resignation offer has renewed speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle to appease public anger and give the Park Geun-hye administration fresh impetus.
The 6,825-ton Sewol sank on April 16 on its way from the port of Incheon, west of Seoul, to the holiday island of Jeju.
Over 180 people, most of them high school students who were on a field trip, have been confirmed dead, with more than 110 others still unaccounted for.
The government has come under fierce criticism over the unprecedented disaster and its mishandling of the rescue operation.
All 15 surviving crew members responsible for sailing the ferry have been in custody and face charges ranging from criminal negligence to abandoning passengers.
