[Itaewon Tragedy] Sudden Return of Oh Se-hoon: "Heartbroken... Doing Our Best to Manage the Accident, Ensuring Funeral is Perfect"

Regarding Seoul City's responsibility, "We will investigate the circumstances and inform you"... Death toll rises to 153

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was on a business trip in Europe, hurriedly returned to Korea upon hearing the news of the Itaewon crowd crush disaster.

Mayor Oh, who returned through Incheon International Airport on the 30th, met with reporters at 4:40 PM and said, "I extend my deepest condolences to the deceased and their bereaved families," adding, "We will do our best to manage the situation."

He continued, "Most of the victims in this accident were young people, which makes the situation even more heartbreaking and painful," and added, "I do not know how to offer words of comfort to the parents who lost their children, whose grief and pain are unimaginable."

He also expressed his commitment to ensuring thorough handling of the accident aftermath and funeral procedures. Mayor Oh emphasized, "Managing the aftermath of the accident is very important," and said, "We will do everything possible to ensure that there are no inconveniences in the funeral procedures. Additionally, we will do our best so that those injured experience as little discomfort as possible during treatment and recovery."

Regarding the responsibility of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, he responded, "Since we have not yet accurately grasped the situation at the scene, we will investigate further and provide a statement later."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of 4:30 PM on the same day, the death toll rose to 153. Among them, the number of foreigners increased to 20. There were 24 seriously injured and 79 lightly injured. Thus, the total number of casualties was confirmed to be 256.

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