Reuters
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South Korean President Yi Jae Myung ordered the establishment of a new investigative team involving police and prosecutors, and ordered the fatal Halloween crowd that killed 159 people, mostly young people in 2022, his spokesperson said Thursday.
His spokesman Kangjun told the briefing that when he met the families of the victims from recent major disasters, including the Halloween crash in Seoul’s Itawong district, Lee’s move came to launch a new investigation.
Lee, who took office in June, promised to make the country safer and prevent repeated disasters in recent years.
The president said the new investigator would work with a special committee launched last September to consider the lawsuit, according to a spokesman.
In a meeting with Lee, Song Hye-jin, the family representative of the crash victims, said police records and information regarding the government’s response to the disaster had been withheld by the special committee.
During his encounter with the family, Lee bowed deeply as he apologised for the failures he made by the authorities.
“As Head of State, I would like to represent the government to formally apologise for the many who have not fulfilled their responsibility to protect people’s lives and safety, and for the sake of many who have lost their lives as a result.”
