South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has apologized for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul that claimed the lives of 156 people and injured 197 others.
Yoon offered the apology during a meeting to review safety rules, as the country continues to mourn the crash victims.
Yoon promised to hold to account any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses and to reform police and safety management systems.
Yoon initially ascribed the authorities’ poor handling to flaws in the country’s crowd management and safety regulations.
The October 29 stampede killed and injured people mostly in their twenties and thirties when revelers flooded the narrow alleyways of the popular nightlife district of Itaewon to celebrate the first COVID-19 curbs-free Halloween festivities in three years.
