Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung will meet with bereaved families of victims of recent major social disasters later this month, his office said Wednesday. On July 16, Lee will hold a meeting with surviving families of victims in the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, the 2023 underpass flooding in Osong, and the plane crash at Muan International Airport last year, according to the presidential office.
According to Yonhap News Agency, in the planned meeting, Lee is expected to offer condolences to the families and hear their opinions on any shortcomings in the government's support and compensation measures for them. Last month, Lee visited the site of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that claimed 159 lives during Halloween festivities in 2022 and stressed the need to strengthen public safety measures.
In the Sewol ferry sinking incident, 304 people died, including hundreds of teenagers who were going on a school trip, while the Osong underpass flooding and Muan airport crash took the lives of 14 and 175, respectively.