South Korea’s President Lee extends apology to bereaved families of major disasters

SEOUL - South Korea President Lee Jae Myung on July 16 extended an apology to the families of those who lost their lives in what the presidential office called the four major disasters of the past decade.

Mr Lee told the families that previous administrations had failed to admit the state’s liability in the deadly incidents and promised to properly compensate the victims and families left behind.

“As the head of state, I extend my formal apology on behalf of the government, because the government failed to fulfill its responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people,” Mr Lee told some 200 participants at the event held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, which was formerly a presidential complex.

Among the participants were those who lost loved ones in either the

Sewol ferry disaster

that took 304 lives in April 2014; the

Itaewon crowd crush

in Seoul where 179 people died in October 2022; the

inundation of an underpass in Cheongju

, North Chungcheong province, that killed 14 people in July 2023; and a Jeju Air

plane crash following a hard landing at an airport

in Muan, South Jeolla province, where 179 people were killed in December 2024.

“Some may think that the truth is still being hidden. Some may think they were not compensated. Some may think there were not enough apologies, or words of solace,” Mr Lee said.

“I will work to ensure that no more citizens will be mistreated due to the absence of the state,” he added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK