S Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol apologises over deadly Halloween crush

Yoon Suk-yeol additionally guarantees to carry to account officers who failed to reply in time to the tragedy that killed at the least 156 individuals.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee attend a Buddhist ceremony commemorating the victims of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, proper, and his spouse Kim Keon-hee attend a Buddhist ceremony for the Halloween crowd crush victims in Seoul [File: Yonhap via Reuters]

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has apologised for the lethal Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, promising to carry to account officers who failed to reply successfully to the tragedy.

Yoon provided the apology on Monday throughout a gathering to evaluation security guidelines because the nation mourns the 156 crush victims, most of whom have been ladies and younger individuals of their twenties and thirties.

“I don't dare to check myself to the dad and mom who misplaced their little children, however because the president who ought to guard the individuals’s lives and security, I'm heartbroken,” he mentioned.

“I'm sorry and apologetic to the bereaved households who're struggling an unspeakable tragedy, and to the individuals who share the ache and sorrow.”

The crush occurred on October 29, when revellers celebrating Halloween flooded the slender alleyways of Seoul’s Itaewon district to have a good time the primary COVID-19 curbs-free Halloween in three years.

The 156 victims included at the least 26 foreigners. An additional 197 individuals have been injured.

Police have confronted stringent public criticism and scrutiny over their response through the tragedy, having dispatched simply 137 officers to the realm regardless of estimating prematurely as many as 100,000 individuals would collect.

Final week, transcripts of a number of emergency calls made within the hours main as much as the accident confirmed that individuals had warned of a possible crush and urged intervention.

The primary of the 11 reviews got here almost 4 hours earlier than the catastrophe, with one individual reporting fearing being “nearly crushed to loss of life” and asking for police assist to manage the gang. An hour earlier than the tragedy, one other individual referred to as to say, “We're on the verge of a horrible accident resulting from huge crowds.”

The Yonhap information company mentioned police issued a “Code 0” for one of many reviews, calling for the promptest potential response, and utilized the second highest “Code 1” to seven others, however officers didn't take acceptable motion.

Yoon, who had initially blamed the nation’s crowd administration and security rules for the tragedy, rebuked the police following the reviews of the decision transcripts.

At Monday’s security assembly, the president pledged to overtake the nationwide security administration system, perform a radical investigation and convey these answerable for failings to account.

“Particularly, intensive reform is required within the police work, which is important to making ready for hazard and stopping accidents, with a view to shield the protection of the individuals,” Yoon mentioned.

He additionally promised to ensure the “fact is completely decided”.

“In keeping with the outcomes, I'll strictly demand accountability from these accountable,” he added.

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