A local court ruled Wednesday the government's decision not to disclose reports made to President Park Geun-hye on the day of a deadly ferry disaster in 2014 was legitimate.

The Seoul Administrative Court turned down the revocation suit filed against three presidential officials -- the chief presidential secretariat, the chief of national security and the chief of the presidential security service -- by the minor opposition Green Party Korea, demanding nullification of the nondisclosure decision.

The 6,825-ton ferry, the Sewol, sank in waters off the country's southwestern coast in April 2014 and left 304 people dead. Most of the deaths were of students on a field trip to Jeju Island.

In August 2014, the party demanded a disclosure of reports made to the president and a list of documents the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae produced and received regarding the disaster.

"There are considerable reasons to believe that revealing the communication records produced between the president and the chief presidential secretary could adversely affect the fair execution of their duties," the court said.

Still, it ordered the list of documents created and received by the presidential office to be disclosed, saying the presidential secretariat did not comply with the court's request to access certain information for the hearings.

Under South Korean law, a judge dealing with information disclosure suits can review the relevant records behind closed doors, if necessary. (Yonhap)