[Itaewon Tragedy] Ministry of Education "Submit List of Students with Unconfirmed Whereabouts, Monitor Candlelight Vigils"

Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon Holds Emergency Strategy Meeting with Provincial and Metropolitan Offices of Education
"If Unidentified Persons List Is Submitted, Confirm Accident Status with Police"
Requests Monitoring and Action on November 5th Student Candlelight Rally
Requests Postponement of Autumn School Events During National Mourning Period

On the 30th, Jang Sang-yoon, Vice Minister of Education, held an emergency video conference with metropolitan and provincial offices of education at the Education Facilities Safety Institute in Yeouido, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education has requested metropolitan and provincial offices of education to identify the status of student accidents by school in relation to the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. They plan to secure a list of students whose whereabouts are unknown and verify with the police whether they were involved in the accident.

On the 30th, Deputy Minister Jang Sang-yoon held an emergency countermeasure meeting with metropolitan and provincial offices of education regarding the Itaewon incident, stating, "We ask the offices of education to promptly ascertain the status of student accidents by contacting parents at each school under their jurisdiction. If a list of students whose whereabouts are unknown is submitted to the Ministry of Education, we plan to verify their accident status with the police as quickly as possible."

Deputy Minister Jang explained, "The exact status of student accidents, including university students, is currently being identified. Since most of the deceased and injured are estimated to be in their teens and twenties, the Ministry of Education will actively cooperate with metropolitan and provincial offices of education, universities, the National Police Agency, and other related organizations to promptly ascertain the status of student fatalities and injuries related to the accident."

The Ministry of Education has established the "Itaewon Accident Response Headquarters," led by the Deputy Minister, to provide support for deceased students and their bereaved families, as well as psychological treatment and other follow-up measures for the injured.

Deputy Minister Jang requested monitoring and measures in preparation for the candlelight vigil planned for November 5 for middle and high school students. He said, "Since the candlelight vigil for middle and high school students is also an event where student safety is a concern, each metropolitan and provincial office of education should actively monitor the situation and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our students is not threatened."

With the operation of the "National Mourning Period" from today until November 5, the Ministry requested postponement of autumn school events or large-scale events hosted by local governments during this period. If large-scale events involving students are unavoidable, prior safety education must be conducted.

The Ministry of Education conducted safety inspections of examination sites due to the earthquake that occurred the previous day in Goesan, Chungbuk, and is also preparing for earthquake situations on the day of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on November 17.

Deputy Minister Jang stated, "This is a time when we all must unite to ensure that such a tragic accident as yesterday’s never happens again," and added, "We ask frontline schools and offices of education to join efforts in the prompt recovery from this accident and support for the affected students."

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