PM apologizes for deadly crowd crush in Itaewon

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo apologized Monday for a deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district, vowing to reform crowd control measures to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

"As the prime minister in charge of state affairs in connection with the disaster in Itaewon, I sincerely apologize to the people," Han told a parliamentary meeting.

Han also expressed his deep condolences to foreign victims and their families.

"With a heavy responsibility, the government will support each and every bereaved family member without neglect, and will quickly push for fundamental system improvement to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy," Han said.

The Oct. 29 crush killed 156 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, including 26 foreigners.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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