Yoon attends Buddhist service for victims of Halloween crowd crush

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee on Friday attended a Buddhist memorial service for victims of the Halloween crowd crush.

The service was held at Jogye Temple in Seoul to mourn the 156 lives lost during Halloween celebrations in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon last Saturday.

Dressed in black and white, Yoon and Kim joined hundreds of Buddhist leaders and followers at the service and placed chrysanthemums on an altar before pressing their palms together and bowing their heads.

"As the president, who is responsible for the people's lives and safety, I am profoundly heartbroken and sorry," Yoon said in remarks during the service.

"I am well aware that, as profound as the grief and pain are, I and the government have the large responsibility to handle the aftermath of the accident in a responsible manner and above all to prevent such a tragedy from happening again," he said.

Yoon promised to look after the bereaved families and those injured in the accident with special care until the end. He also pledged the best efforts of himself and the government to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

hague@yna.co.kr
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