President Lee Jae-myung met with more than 200 bereaved families of the victims of the Sewol ferry, Itaewon, Osong Underpass, and Jeju Air passenge...
President Lee Jae-myung, officials from the presidential office, the government, and ruling party lawmakers talk with the bereaved families of the social disaster at the"Conversation of Memory, Comfort, and Healing" event held at the presidential guesthouse Yeongbingwan on July 16.
The event was attended by 207 bereaved families of four social disasters, including the disasters of the Sewol Ferry, Itaewon,the Jeju Air passenger plane, and the Osong underpass. /Photo provided by the presidential office President Lee Jae-myung met with more than 200 bereaved families of the victims of the Sewol ferry, Itaewon, Osong Underpass, and Jeju Air passenger plane on the 16th and bowed his head, saying, “I apologize on behalf of the government for failing to fulfill the government's responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people.” During the meeting, Lee reportedly mentioned the establishment of a dedicated investigation team to prevent secondary harm to victims of social tragedies. President Lee apologized in his opening remarks at the"Conversation of Memory, Consolation, and Healing" meeting held at the Cheong Wa Dae Yeongbingwan, saying,"Because there were wrong climates that put more importance on money than life and put cost before safety, people who did not have to die died or people who did not have to be injured were injured. The meeting was attended by a large number of senior presidential aides, senior government officials at the vice minister level or higher, and ruling party lawmakers. This is the first time that high-ranking officials from the party, and the government gathered together to hold a meeting with the bereaved families of victims of the disaster. High-ranking officials from the government and the ruling party came together to console the bereaved families of the disaster at the national level and come up with responsible measures. “The first responsibility of the state is to protect the lives and safety of its citizens,” Lee said, adding, “While these words of apology will not bring back the departed and will not erase the emotional scar in the hearts of the bereaved families, I hope they will serve as an opportunity to ensure that our people will never again lose their lives or be injured due to the absence of government.” As Lee bowed his head and apologized, sobs could be heard among the bereaved families, some wiping their tears with handkerchiefs. “I will fully consider what you have said and do the necessary things to the best of my ability within the scope of what is possible,” Lee said, adding, “We will work together to create the necessary measures so that there will be no unfair people in this country who feel the absence of the state.” President Lee was followed by public remarks from representatives of the survivors. Choi Eun-kyung, co-chairperson of the Council of Families of the Osong Disaster Victims, which celebrated its second anniversary the day before, said, “We are truly grateful for the opportunity to communicate,” adding, “After the disaster, we had to bear the whole process on our own without any guidance or protection from the state.” She called for a fact-finding, punishment of those responsible, legalization of manuals for supporting bereaved families, creation of a memorial space, and implementation of psychological recovery programs. A total of four members made public remarks, including Song Hae-jin, chairman of the committee for the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster, Kim Yoo-jin, chairman of the second committee for the bereaved families of the Jeju Air plane disaster, and Kim Jong-ki, chairman of the committee for the Ferry Sewol disaster. Besides finding the truth and punishing those responsible, the council also called for a complete overhaul of the disaster safety management system and enactment of the ‘Basic Act on Life Safety.’ The ‘Basic Act on Life Safety’ is one of President Lee's top 10 pledges for the presidential election.The meeting was organized in such a way that the families of the victims would ask questions, and Lee and representatives from the ministries would answer them. The father of one of the victims, who handed a note of ‘Don’t forget the Sewol Disaster’ to then-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung at the 11th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster in April, also attended. When the stories of the families of the victims of the Osong underpass disaster, whose lives were forever changed, were introduced, the room became somber. At the meeting, the issue of secondary abuse was also discussed, including Internet comments and hateful remarks that afflicted victims of social disasters and their bereaved families."President Lee promised to form a dedicated investigation team to prevent secondary harm to victims of social disasters," a participant of the meeting said while talking to a reporter."The president's words have been a great comfort to me, as I have been hurt a lot by secondary abuse such as hateful comments and ridicule." “The accident was heartbreaking, but the incomprehensible attitude of the government officials in charge after the accident was even more heartbreaking,” Lee said at the end of the meeting, according to the presidential office, adding, “Let's work together for a safe society, a society that does not take life lightly for money, and a society that does not replace life with expenses.” 정치 많이 본 기사 For those who did not get a chance to speak, the presidential office placed an “I will listen with my heart” letter form at the entrance of the State Guest House, the venue for the meeting, to receive comments from the bereaved families. A bereaved family member who attended the meeting said,"The time felt a little short for us, who had a lot of things to say," adding,"It was impressive to see the president bowing down, but it is regrettable that there was a lack of mention of policy follow-up measures."
‘I Apologize On Behalf Of The Government’
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