National Assembly Steering Committee, Presidential Office Audit
Chief Kim Dae-gi "Yoon's Four Sincere Apologies"
Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, emphasized on the 7th that President Yoon Seok-yeol's absence from the '10·29 Itaewon Disaster 1st Anniversary Citizen Memorial Rally' was due to security issues and the nature of the event, responding to criticism from the opposition party.
On the same day, during the National Assembly Steering Committee's audit of the Presidential Office, when Lee Yong-bin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked about the reason for the absence, Kim replied, "We also reviewed various aspects. With 7,000 people gathering, security was almost impossible, and many of the participants were groups engaged in movements calling for the resignation of the administration."
When Lee asked, "Are you saying it had the strong character of a political rally hosted by the opposition party?" Kim reiterated, "Yes. And security was impossible."
President Yoon stated at the 1st anniversary memorial service for the Itaewon disaster held at Yeongam Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the 29th of last month, "I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families who lost their precious loved ones."
Regarding the criticism questioning whether security issues would have arisen at the memorial service if the president had apologized to the bereaved families, Kim countered, "On the contrary, at Seoul Plaza, even the Prime Minister was told not to come, and the Minister of the Interior and Safety was also rejected as unnecessary."
Kim also emphasized, "The president has sincerely apologized four times before. How could he apologize more or express more condolences than that?"
Regarding President Yoon attending the memorial service at Yeongam Church, Kim mentioned, "There is sincerity."
When asked about the situation where the Paramount-produced documentary on the Itaewon disaster is not available on Netflix, Kim responded, "I’m not going to tell them what to do... (No)," adding, "It is happening in the private sector, and we have not been involved."
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