First Attendance at Memorial: "No More Unfair Sacrifices"

[Anchor]

October 29 has come once again. It marks exactly four years since the tragedy occurred in an alley in Itaewon, Seoul. President Lee Jae-myung, who became the first sitting president to attend a memorial ceremony, promised that the state will fulfill its responsibilities so that citizens will never again suffer unfair sacrifices.

Ha Jeongyeon reports in our top story.

[Reporter]

The 4th anniversary commemoration ceremony for the Itaewon disaster began at 10:29 a.m., in honor of October 29, the date the tragedy took place.

In his memorial address, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to prevent any recurrence, saying that if the state had fulfilled its responsibilities, that day in Itaewon would have remained an ordinary day.

[President Lee Jae-myung: "We will ensure that our people never again fall victim to unfair sacrifices due to the state's absence and neglect."]

Mentioning the revision of the law to investigate the truth behind the disaster and the extension of the Special Investigation Commission's activity period through September next year, he said he would leave not a single question unanswered.

[President Lee Jae-myung: "We will clearly uncover the truth so that not a single question remains, and we will ensure that it leads to definite, tangible changes in the lives of the bereaved families and the public."]

This year marks the second government-level memorial event, and this is the first time a president has attended.

During last year's inaugural ceremony, he was unable to attend due to his APEC schedule.

President Lee expressed his gratitude and offered condolences, saying that the bereaved families had continued their lonely fight while the state failed to fulfill its duties.

[Lee Jeong-min / Head of Steering Committee, October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association: "I earnestly hope that it will go down in history as an administration that fully uncovered the truth of the disaster and eased the grief of the bereaved families."]

The bereaved families emphasized that uncovering the state's response and responsibility at the time of the disaster without sanctuary is the only way to honor the souls of the victims.

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo | Video Editing by Won Hyeong-hui)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.