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Lee Apologizes to Disaster Victims’ Families and Orders Joint Probe of Itaewon Crush

The administration committed to comprehensive victim compensation with sweeping safety reforms to address state oversight failures in major disasters.

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech on the second supplementary budget proposal for 2025 at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on June 26, 2025. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo
A mourner kneels next to floral tributes near the site of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
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Overview

  • On July 16 at the Blue House, Lee formally apologized to about 200 families of victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, 2023 Osong underpass flooding and 2024 Muan plane crash.
  • He pledged to prepare comprehensive compensation and direct support measures for the victims after listening to family testimonies.
  • Lee criticized a long-standing culture prioritizing economic efficiency over safety and vowed systemic reforms to prevent avoidable tragedies.
  • On July 17, he ordered the creation of a joint police-prosecutor investigation into the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush with the potential to grant compulsory powers to the special investigation committee.
  • The apology represents the government’s first formal acknowledgment of state liability for the Itaewon crowd crush and the Osong underpass flooding.