Yongsan-gu Mayor Park Hee-young: "I Will Not Avoid Responsibility... 'Emotional Responsibility' for Great Sacrifice"

Attendance at the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee Full Meeting

Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young is attending an urgent inquiry on the Itaewon disaster held at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Regarding the Itaewon tragedy, Park Hee-young, the mayor of Yongsan District, Seoul, stated that he would not evade related responsibilities but referred to the responsibility as a "responsibility of the heart," indicating no intention to resign.

On the 7th, Mayor Park attended the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and read a prepared written response to questions from Jo Eun-hee, a member of the People Power Party. He said, "I am deeply sorry with a heavy sense of responsibility and regret that time cannot be turned back," adding, "I arrived at the scene, conducted emergency rescue activities, and ordered countermeasures, but it was insufficient."

He continued, "I was worried about causing further wounds to the bereaved families, so I could not respond to the media's questions," and added, "With the heart of a sinner, I will not evade responsibility as mayor and will sincerely engage in fact-finding."

When asked what he meant by not evading responsibility, he described it as a "responsibility of the heart," effectively drawing a line against resignation.

Regarding how to understand his statement about not evading responsibility, Mayor Park said, "It was said from the perspective of the mayor's infinite responsibility to protect the safety of the people." When asked specifically what responsibility he meant, he replied, "It is a responsibility of the heart for the great sacrifice that occurred."

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