Yoon Apologizes for Itaewon Tragedy... "Heartbroken and Sorry"

President Yoon Attends 'Itaewon Tragedy Memorial Service'... "Doing Our Best to Prevent Such a Tragedy Again"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is performing a prayer gesture at the 'Memorial Service for the Souls of the Victims of the Itaewon Disaster' held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 4th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 4th, "As the president responsible for the lives and safety of the people, I feel deeply sorrowful and apologetic." This was President Yoon's first apology message following the Itaewon tragedy. He has been paying respects at the joint memorial altar for five consecutive days since the accident occurred.

On the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon attended the 'Itaewon Tragedy Memorial Service for the Departed Souls' held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. In his eulogy, he said, "My heart is heavy facing the grief of the parents and families who lost their beloved sons and daughters."

In particular, President Yoon said, "No words can replace that sorrow," and added, "As the president responsible for the lives and safety of the people, I feel deeply sorrowful and apologetic." This is the first time President Yoon publicly expressed "I am sorry" in a public setting after the 'Itaewon tragedy.'

President Yoon also said, "As the sorrow and pain run deep, the government has a great responsibility to handle the accident responsibly and, above all, to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again." He continued, "We will take more meticulous care of the bereaved families and those undergoing treatment and will see it through to the end," adding, "My administration and I will do our best to prevent such tragedies from happening again."

Attending the memorial service were First Lady Kim Keon-hee, Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for National Planning Lee Gwan-seop, Senior Secretary for Public Relations Kim Eun-hye, and Senior Secretary for Civil Society Kang Seung-gyu. From the Jogye Order, Chief Abbot Jinwoo, Central Council Chairman Jeongmun, Head of the Ho-gye Temple Bogwang, and Head of the Propagation Office Beomhae also attended.

In his eulogy, Chief Abbot Jinwoo said, "Our generation has repeatedly vowed to prevent recurrence whenever social disasters occur, but we have failed to keep that promise again," adding, "I am sorry for not protecting them. Due to the complacency of our society, which has been forgetting safety, precious lives had to face their farewell to the world. These were lives that could have been saved with just a little more caution, so I cannot contain my sorrow."

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