[Itaewon Tragedy] Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor, Expresses Deep Condolences and Comfort to Victims and Families... Mourning Period Until Year-End

District Mayor Park Hee-young Switches SNS to Private Immediately After Accident, Refrains from Official Response to Focus on Accident Management... Mourning Period Until End of 2022... All Local Events and Group Activities Suspended... Mayor Park States "Will Ensure Quick Recovery and Follow-up Measures, and Thorough Safety Management of Local Facilities"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Park Hee-young, the district mayor who had refrained from official responses and focused solely on managing the aftermath since the ‘Itaewon accident’ that occurred on the night of October 29, has now issued an official statement.

Immediately after receiving news of the accident, Park Hee-young switched her SNS accounts to private and concentrated exclusively on accident management and support without any official response.

As of around noon on the 30th, with the number of casualties becoming clearer and the identification process of the deceased underway, and the accident response headquarters activities intensifying, Yongsan-gu has decided to announce its position.

Park Hee-young expressed deep condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families of the Itaewon tragedy and declared a mourning period during which all local events and group activities will be suspended until December.

Furthermore, she promised that this incident would serve as an opportunity to thoroughly inspect the safety of multi-use facilities and commercial buildings in the area, as well as fire prevention facilities in preparation for winter, to ensure that no accidents occur.

Full statement from Park Hee-young, District Mayor

First and foremost, I extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families affected by the Itaewon tragedy.

The Itaewon tragedy occurred yesterday, October 29, at approximately 10:15 PM.

Yongsan-gu will thoroughly analyze the cause of the incident and mobilize all administrative resources to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Most of the victims and missing persons have been identified by the police and their families contacted. Investigations are ongoing for the nine individuals whose identities have not yet been confirmed.

The residents of Yongsan-gu and affiliated organizations are providing maximum convenience to these victims.

Yongsan-gu will observe a mourning period until December 31, 2022. During this time, all unnecessary local events and group activities will be suspended.

We are cooperating closely with the government and the Seoul Metropolitan Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to mobilize all administrative efforts for swift recovery and follow-up measures.

We will also do our utmost to ensure the safety management of facilities within the district.

If you need assistance or have suggestions or information related to the Itaewon accident, please do not hesitate to call us. We will do our best to help.

Explanation regarding criticism of the ‘official statement after 18 hours’

Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Park Hee-young) released its first official statement regarding the ‘Itaewon accident’ via a press release at 5:53 PM on October 30. Compared to the many inquiries from reporters about Yongsan-gu’s pre- and post-accident responses, this was a somewhat delayed response.

One media outlet criticized Yongsan-gu’s delayed response as ‘an official statement after 18 hours’ and condemned it as ‘an unprepared administration.’

However, Yongsan-gu explained that the delayed response was due to Mayor Park Hee-young’s belief that managing the accident took priority over promoting the district’s response plans or positions.

Yongsan-gu is closely cooperating with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Seoul Metropolitan Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to support accident management.

This includes setting up an on-site situation room to identify casualties at the request of Seoul city, urgently operating the Wonhyo-ro Multipurpose Gymnasium for transporting the deceased, and running the Hannam-dong Community Center as a waiting area for families of the missing and a reception center for missing persons.

Before the district’s emergency situation room was established, at 10:59 PM, Mayor Park Hee-young was the first to arrive at the scene, engaging in emergency rescue activities and site control. She then moved to the Wonhyo-ro Multipurpose Gymnasium, personally opened the doors, and took preliminary measures for transporting the deceased, doing her utmost at the scene.

After noon on the 30th, with the transfer of the deceased and injured and the identification process led by the central government and Seoul city, accident management intensified, allowing Yongsan-gu to formulate its own response plans.

Currently, Mayor Park Hee-young is so exhausted from continuous on-site accident management activities that she can barely speak and has been enduring by taking short naps in her office since the accident occurred last night.

However, it is regrettable that the district could not adequately respond to media information requests. Mayor Park Hee-young has stated that she will now focus on establishing response measures at the Yongsan-gu level and preparing mid- to long-term plans.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.