Yoon commemorates Itaewon disaster, vows better public safety

President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Youngahm church in Seongbuk District on Sunday to attend a memorial service for the 159 people that died from a stampede at Itaewon a year ago on Halloween weekend. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to improve the country’s public safety system so that the “sacrifices” of the people who died a year ago in a stampede in Itaewon would not be in vain.

“Last year was the saddest day of my life,” Yoon said while attending a memorial service Sunday at Youngahm Church, Seongbuk District, for the people who died during the Itaewon disaster last year. “I believe everyone in the country feels the same.”

“I pray for the people who had lost their lives from the unexpected accident, and I would like to express my condolences to the families who lost loved ones.”

“In the last 12 months, the government has done everything it could to create a safe country,” President Yoon said. “We will work harder to achieve this goal.”

“As citizens of a country that those who lost their lives in accidents loved so much, we must make a better world,” Yoon said.

“It is our responsibility to make a world where anyone in our country can enjoy their lives with trust in a safe nation,” Yoon added.

The president, while commemorating the Itaewon tragedy at church, said earlier that he would not attend a rally jointly organized by the Democratic Party and bereaved family members, which was to start at 5 p.m.

According to the president’s office, President Yoon decided not to attend the rally in downtown Seoul to avoid politicizing the tragedy.

The tragic sinking of the ferry Sewol in 2016, which claimed the lives of 300 passengers, was a significant milestone on the path that led to then-President Park Geun-hye's impeachment and political downfall.

The leadership of the president’s People Power Party also decided not to attend the rally for the same reason.

However, the head of the PPP’s new innovation committee, Ihn Yo-han, as well as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, said they would take part in the commemoration even if they were unwelcome.

The Itaewon tragedy claimed the lives of 158 people who were crushed to death in a narrow alleyway during Halloween weekend last year. One survivor later committed suicide, raising the death toll to 159.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]