President Lee Jae-myung officially apologized to the bereaved families of the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, the Itaewon tragedy, the Muan passenger plane accident, and the Osong underground tunnel disaster on the 16th.
On the afternoon of the same day, President Lee attended an event titled "Conversation of Memory, Comfort, and Healing" held at the Blue House's State Guesthouse and stated, "The primary responsibility of the state is to protect the lives and safety of its citizens. The owners of the country are the people. All power comes from the people, and when the people are threatened, the state has not been there."
He added, "As the highest responsible official of the national government, I would like to officially express my apologies on behalf of the government for not fulfilling our responsibilities and for the many lives lost as a result." After speaking, President Lee stood up and bowed.
He expressed, "No words of apology can bring back those who have departed, nor can they erase the deep scars in the hearts of the bereaved, but I hope this serves as an opportunity so that no citizens lose their lives or are harmed again due to the absence of the government."
After the event, President Lee posted a message on Facebook. The post included the statement, "I will remember the 656 universes that faded away, each carrying their own name and dream: 304, 159, 14, 179." These numbers represent the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster (304), the Itaewon tragedy (159), the Osong disaster (14), and the Muan passenger plane accident (179).
In this post, President Lee wrote, "Accidents that could have been prevented have repeatedly occurred, and we were powerless in the face of tragedies that could have been avoided. I will reflect on all of this, including our inadequate responses, justifications, evasions, and insufficient apologies and comfort, and will correct each one by one."