South Korea’s interior minister apologized Tuesday after the stampede that killed 156 people on Halloween night in Seoul, the first official apology following the tragedy.
“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to the public for this accident, as the minister in charge of people’s safety,” Lee Sang-min said in front of parliament before bowing his head to elected officials and cameras.
At least 156 people, mostly young people, died and dozens were injured in this massive movement that took place on Saturday night during the first Halloween party since the pandemic in Seoul, in the cosmopolitan district of Itaewon.
About 100,000 people were expected, but due to the unofficial nature of the event, neither the police nor local authorities actively managed the crowd. Police acknowledged on Monday that they only deployed 137 officers to Itaewon on Saturday night, while noting that this number was higher than for Halloween parties in previous years.
Source: BFM TV
