'I do not dare to compare myself to the parents who lost their sons and daughters, but as the president who ought to protect the people’s lives and safety, I am heartbroken.'
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized on Monday for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul, pledging to hold to account any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses and to reform police and safety management systems.
“I do not dare to compare myself to the parents who lost their sons and daughters, but as the president who ought to protect the people’s lives and safety, I am heartbroken,” he said. Last week, transcripts of several emergency calls made from the hours leading up to the accident showed that people had warned of a potential crush and urged interventions.Yoon initially ascribed the authorities’ poor handling to flaws in the country’s crowd management and safety regulations. Following the reports of the call transcripts, however, he sharply rebuked the police and apologized to the victims and wider public.