South Korea's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Lee Sang-eui has offered to retire amid criticism that he mishandled the sinking of a warship blamed on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.

 The top general of the country has been accused of being absent from the military's control and command center on the night of March 26 when the navy ship Cheonan went down in the Yellow sea, and also suspected of pretending that he was present there throughout the night by faking a document.

 Lee said in a statement that he feels "deeply responsible for the Cheonan incident," and submitted his application for retirement to Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, Yonhap said.

 Seoul's Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) last week said it has asked the Ministry of Defense to discipline 25 military officials at seven agencies, including 13 general-level officers, 10 colonel-level officers and two high-ranking officials in the Defense Ministry, for their failing to properly handle of the Cheonan incident, Lee is among them.

 The South Korean national audit agency also said it found multiple problems in the military authorities and Defense Ministry 's combat prevention and preparedness, reporting structures, crisis response systems and management of military secrets.

 The Ministry of Defense was reportedly to conduct a large-scale reshuffle of top military commanders in coming days.

 The 1,200-ton South Korean naval vessel Cheonan, with 104 crew members onboard, sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula on March 26, killing 46 sailors. South Korea's investigation said the warship was torpedoed by the DPRK, and referred the case to the United Nations Security Council (US). But the DPRK denied its involvement, and also asked the US to act to help find the truth of the incident.