[Itaewon Tragedy] Prime Minister Han Declares National Mourning Period Until November 5... Yongsan-gu Declared Special Disaster Area (Comprehensive)

- Joint Memorial Altars Set Up in Seoul City; Early Flag Raising and Ribbon Wearing During Government and Public Institution Mourning Period
- Ministry of Health and Welfare and Seoul City Activate Funeral Support Team... Full Effort for Injured Treatment and Psychological Support Team for Families
- Prime Minister Han Deok-su Urges "All Citizens to Come Together to Overcome Grief"
- Minister Lee Sang-min Responds to Police Deployment Criticism: "Crowds in Itaewon Not at Concerning Levels Compared to Usual... Dispersed by Protests in Seoul"
- Minister Jo Gyu-hong: "59 Metropolitan Area...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is briefing on the 'Itaewon Crowd Crush Disaster' on the 30th at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, wearing a black ribbon on his chest. From the left, Moon Seung-gyu, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, Prime Minister Han, and Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced on the 30th that the period until November 5 has been designated as a national mourning period in relation to the 'Itaewon Halloween crowd crush disaster,' and that Yongsan-gu has been declared a special disaster area.

At a joint briefing held at noon at the Government Seoul Office with relevant ministers, Prime Minister Han said, "The government established a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters led by the Prime Minister immediately after the meeting chaired by President Yoon Suk-yeol early this morning. Each headquarters has set up a recovery headquarters, and Seoul City has immediately activated the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to make every effort."

Regarding the establishment and activity period of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters related to the Itaewon crowd crush disaster, he emphasized, "There is no set period. It will remain in place until all these matters are properly resolved and all institutional reforms that satisfy our citizens are achieved."

Following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s directive, the period from today until 24:00 on November 5 has been designated as the national mourning period to express condolences. Prime Minister Han explained, "A joint memorial altar will be set up in Seoul city," and "During the mourning period, all public institutions will fly flags at half-mast, and government officials and public institution employees will wear ribbons to express mourning."

He added, "All ministries, local governments, and public institutions will postpone non-urgent events during the mourning period, and if events must be held, safety will be prioritized."

The government will also declare Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the accident occurred, a special disaster area. Prime Minister Han stated, "We will provide all necessary support, including healing support funds for the bereaved families of the deceased and the injured," and "For foreign victims, we will actively coordinate with overseas diplomatic missions to ensure no lack of support."

He continued, "For the deceased, a funeral support team will be operated jointly with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Seoul City. We will respond fully to the treatment of the injured and form and operate an Itaewon accident psychological support team within the National Trauma Center to provide psychological treatment for the families of the injured."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said regarding support related to the declaration of the special disaster area, "Condolence money will be provided to the bereaved families of those who passed away in this accident, medical expenses for the injured, funeral expenses for the deceased, and all other necessary support," adding, "The central government will provide substantial support jointly with local governments."

Regarding the location of the joint memorial altar, he explained, "The location will be decided by this afternoon, and if possible, it will be set up today," adding, "The specific place will be discussed shortly."

Regarding the identification of unidentified victims, Minister Lee said, "The number of deceased slightly exceeds 150, and over 90% of them have been identified," adding, "About ten people remain unidentified. One reason is that for those under 17 years old, resident registration has not yet been established, so photos or family confirmation are required. Some foreigners also face similar issues, so about ten people remain unidentified."

When asked by a reporter whether fire and police personnel were deployed at the scene on Halloween day when crowds were expected in Itaewon, Minister Lee replied, "According to our understanding, compared to previous years, and although COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, there was not an unusually large crowd that would cause concern."

However, he added, "Since accident recovery is the top priority, we will first focus on recovery and then investigate the cause. There have been various discussions about the cause. We understand that this was not a problem that could have been resolved by pre-deploying police or fire personnel, unlike usual."

He further explained, "As you know well, there were various disturbances and protests in many parts of Seoul yesterday, so police security personnel were dispersed in that regard."

When asked to elaborate on police personnel deployment, he said, "Since many citizens were expected to gather yesterday, a significant number of police and security forces were deployed around Gwanghwamun," adding, "There seemed to be plans to mobilize forces from other regions and prepare for emergencies. In Itaewon, the deployment was not significantly different from previous levels, so forces were deployed at a level similar to normal times."

Regarding concerns about emergency room overload, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong said, "The injured and deceased are being distributed among 59 hospitals in the metropolitan area," adding, "Following President Yoon’s instructions, we will closely support the injured in cooperation with government officials, local governments, and the Medical Association."

He continued, "For the deceased, who are dispersed across 42 funeral homes, Seoul City has formed teams of two people to provide support," adding, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Funeral Culture Promotion Agency will work together to ensure smooth support."

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