Obama Visit To South Korea Tinged By Mourning

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Barack Obama says he is visiting South Korea at "a time of great sorrow."

The president expressed America's condolences for the 300 dead or missing after last week's ferry disaster.

Obama spoke in a press conference today with South Korean President Park Geun-hye (goon-hay) at the Blue House, the equivalent of America's White House.

Park has been consumed by the April 16 maritime disaster, with most of the victims from a high school near Seoul. Obama says with daughters close in age to the victims, he can only imagine their parents "incredible heartache."

Most of the ferry's 29-member crew survived. Eleven of them, including the captain, have been arrested on suspicion of negligence or abandoning people in need as the ferry sank. Park recently likened their behavior to murder.

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