President Yoon's 'Apology to the Nation'?…Opposition Pressures "Only Condolences Without Apology? Unacceptable"

"Warning: If Lee Sang-min and Yoon Hee-geun Are Not Dismissed, the Public Will Face Resistance and Anger"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is paying tribute by laying flowers at the memorial space in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 1st./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] In relation to the Itaewon tragedy, the opposition parties are strongly demanding a 'public apology' from President Yoon Suk-yeol. They pressured that this tragedy is a 'clear human-made disaster' and called for the dismissal of Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who is responsible for safety management, and Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency.

Park Chan-dae, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea and head of the Itaewon tragedy countermeasures headquarters, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 3rd and said, "The position of the president should bear unlimited responsibility for protecting the lives and safety of the people," adding, "A major disaster occurred, so why is there not a single word of apology?"

Park said, "Many people are really puzzled," and added, "(President Yoon) does not apologize, yet why does he visit the condolence site for three consecutive days? It is incomprehensible from the public sentiment." He also pressured President Yoon repeatedly for a public apology, saying, "In the case of former President Park Geun-hye, there was an apology 14 days after the Sewol ferry disaster."

When asked, "How will you respond if President Yoon reaffirms his trust in Minister Lee and others?" Park warned, "If he does not accept it, he will face resistance and anger from the people."

He continued, "It is true that the police bear significant responsibility. There was clearly a poor response. However, regarding citizen safety measures, the responsibilities of local governments and the central government cannot be ignored," emphasizing, "Trying to gloss over the incident by just dismissing a few police top officials distorts the essence of the case. A thorough investigation must clearly reveal the causes and responsibilities, and appropriate accountability must be enforced."

Go Min-jung, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party, referred to the Seongsu Bridge collapse disaster in October 1994 in a post on Facebook on the 2nd. She said, "Although the construction company's poor workmanship was the direct cause of the disaster, on the day of the accident, Prime Minister Lee Young-deok offered his resignation, President Kim Young-sam issued a public apology to the people, and Seoul Mayor Lee Won-jong was dismissed as a disciplinary measure," and criticized, "What responsibility will President Yoon Suk-yeol take?"

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won also said, "If you think cutting off the tail will save the body and covering it up will solve it, you are greatly mistaken. I urge the president to make a decision," adding, "A sincere public apology from the president, the resignation of the cabinet and the presidential office, and judicial processing of the Minister of the Interior and Safety, police chief, fire agency chief, Yongsan District Mayor, and Yongsan Police Station chief are the way to atonement."

The presidential office has stated that it is not considering a public apology. A presidential office official dismissed the demands for a public apology, saying, "The president visited the condolence site of the deceased in this accident and said, 'As the president, I am sorry that the state could not properly protect you.'"

Meanwhile, President Yoon visited the joint condolence altar for the Itaewon tragedy set up at Seoul Plaza on the morning of the 3rd. He has visited the joint condolence altar for four consecutive days since the 31st of last month.

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