President Lee Jae-myung Apologizes to Victims' Families of Major Disasters

On July 16, President Lee Jae-myung (이재명) officially apologized on behalf of the government to the families of victims from several tragic incidents, including the Sewol Ferry disaster, the Itaewon crowd crush, the Muan Airport Jeju Air crash, and the Osong underpass tragedy. During a meeting at the Blue House (청와대) with 207 family members, he expressed his condolences and acknowledged their pain. The families called for a thorough re-investigation and accountability for those responsible, demanding the release of all records related to the Itaewon tragedy and the seven hours of inaction by former President Park Geun-hye (박근혜).

President Lee stated, "I sincerely apologize on behalf of the government," and bowed his head after his remarks. He also recognized the need for a more effective response to secondary victimization, directing the establishment of a permanent response team under the National Police Agency (경찰청).

Family representatives voiced their concerns, with Choi Eun-kyung (최은경), co-representative of the Osong disaster family council, urging the President to facilitate a swift bipartisan investigation by the National Assembly. Song Hae-jin (송해진), a member of the Itaewon tragedy family council, insisted on the transparent release of all records related to the incident, questioning the government's reluctance to disclose information.

Kim Yoo-jin (김유진), representing the families of the Muan Airport crash, criticized the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Committee (사조위) for failing to address the direct causes of the accident. Kim Jong-ki (김종기), from the Sewol Ferry family council, lamented the lack of transparency regarding the government's failure to rescue 304 citizens during the disaster.

In response to the families' demands, President Lee acknowledged their distrust in the investigations into these social tragedies and proposed the formation of a joint investigation team as a potential solution.