[Itaewon Tragedy] "Won't Repeat Sewol Ferry Disaster Response"... Yoon Discloses Schedule from First Directive to Statement (Comprehensive)

President Yoon's Immediate Response After Accident... Overnight Strategy Meeting Followed by National Address on the Morning of the 30th
Seocho-dong Residence, Yongsan Office, Accident Site, Government Seoul Cheongsa: All Yoon's Movements Disclosed
Intended to Completely Block Political Attacks Using 'Accident Response' as Pretext

Ahead of Halloween, President Yoon Seok-yeol is inspecting the site in the Itaewon area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where a large-scale crush disaster occurred on the 30th./Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Since the large-scale crush accident occurred in the Itaewon area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the government, centered on the Presidential Office, has begun full-scale efforts for recovery and follow-up measures. President Yoon stayed up all night with sleepless eyes, holding consecutive emergency meetings at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Government Seoul Office to check the accident situation and measures, and on the morning of the 30th, he delivered an emergency national address. Some view this swift response led by the Presidential Office as an effort to avoid repeating the controversies over the government's response during the Sewol ferry disaster.

According to the Presidential Office on that day, after receiving the accident report on the night of the 29th, President Yoon issued two emergency directives to related ministries. In the first directive announced to the media at 11:36 PM that day, President Yoon urged, "Make every effort to ensure rapid rescue and treatment," and in the second directive 40 minutes later, he instructed, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare must promptly activate the emergency medical system to dispatch the emergency medical team (DMAT) and secure emergency beds at nearby hospitals." Considering that the fire authorities received the report and assessed the situation, issuing response level 1 at 10:43 PM, level 2 at 11:13 PM, and level 3 at 11:50 PM, the first directive was issued about 50 minutes after the level 1 response.

Around 1 AM on the 30th, when a large number of cardiac arrest patients were confirmed, President Yoon came out to the Yongsan Presidential Office Crisis Management Center to preside over an emergency situation review meeting. Around 2:30 AM that day, he held an emergency situation review meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and others at the Gwanghwamun Government Seoul Office situation room where the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) was activated. At this meeting, President Yoon ordered the immediate activation of an accident recovery headquarters headed by Prime Minister Han and instructed Minister Lee to begin preparations for recovery, including identifying the deceased and conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.

Later, at 9:50 AM, he delivered an emergency national address regarding the 'Itaewon tragedy' and declared a national mourning period. This was the first time the president directly addressed the public about the accident, just over 11 hours after it occurred. After the address, he visited the accident site to assess the situation and ordered all government ministries and agencies to immediately lower flags to half-mast. He then presided over a meeting at the accident recovery headquarters set up in the Government Seoul Office situation room.

Within the Presidential Office, there is a response emphasizing the need to focus as much as possible on swift accident recovery and follow-up measures under President Yoon's direct leadership. It also reflects an intention to prevent any opportunity for comparison with the Sewol ferry disaster, which provoked nationwide outrage due to the government's inadequate response. On April 16, 2014, then-President Park Geun-hye visited the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters seven hours after issuing her first directive following the Sewol ferry accident. Her national address came 34 days after the accident.

In this context, the Presidential Office also disclosed President Yoon's movements between his residence in Seocho-dong, the Yongsan office, the accident site, and the Gwanghwamun Government Seoul Office. This is interpreted as a preemptive measure against political attacks from opposition parties regarding the president's movements after the major disaster.

President Yoon plans to devote himself to accident recovery for the time being. In his national address that day, he said, "It is truly devastating," and mentioned, "The government will designate today as the national mourning period and prioritize accident recovery and follow-up measures as the highest national agenda."

The ruling party, the People Power Party, also canceled the high-level party-government meeting scheduled for that day to discuss the 'Legoland incident' well in advance.