4 Religious Organizations "President Yoon Must Officially Apologize to Itaewon Bereaved Families"

Urging for Meetings with Bereaved Families

Religious organizations have called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to officially apologize to the families of the Itaewon disaster victims and have also urged for a meeting with the bereaved families.

On the 14th, near the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, religious leaders and bereaved families of the victims held a press conference for the '10.29 Itaewon Disaster Four Major Religions Prayer Meeting and Statement Announcement,' where they issued a statement demanding a meeting with the President and an official apology. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 14th, religious groups including the Social Labor Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the Justice and Peace Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), the Justice, Peace and Environment Committee of the Catholic Religious Conference, and the Won Buddhism Civil Society Network held a "Prayer Meeting of Four Religious Denominations on October 29th Itaewon Disaster Urging Presidential Meeting and Official Apology" in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The prayer meeting was attended not only by the four religious organizations but also by 10 families of the Itaewon disaster victims.

They emphasized the necessity of an official apology from President Yoon and a meeting with the families of the Itaewon disaster victims. In a statement, the religious groups said, "None of the senior government officials have taken responsibility, and the president, who represents the people, has not even offered a proper apology to this day," adding, "The president should meet the bereaved families with a repentant heart, sincerely apologize, and listen attentively to their voices."

Furthermore, they stated, "We urge the president to make a decisive move so that the National Assembly can establish an independent investigative body to uncover the truth and punish those responsible," and explained, "We are confident that the truth of this incident will soon be clearly revealed."

After the prayer meeting, the religious organizations delivered a statement containing their demands for President Yoon to officials at the Presidential Office.