President Yoon Orders To Create One-Stop Services To Help Families Of Victims Of The Itaewon Halloween Tragedy

President Yoon Suk-yeol while paying tribute at the promoter of mourning for victims of the Halloween tragedy Itaewon. (Source: Screenshot of YouTuber Arirang News)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed his aides on Thursday to establish a one-stop support center, where victims' families and others affected by Halloween celebrations in Itaewon can continue to receive medical assistance and other assistance after the national mourning period ends.

President Yoon also told his aides to focus their efforts on providing trauma and psychotherapy recovery services to the public after the tragedy, according to vice presidential spokesman Lee Jae-myoung.

"The one-stop integrated support center, which will be built under the office of the prime minister together by the relevant ministries, will provide all necessary services from one place. Starting from funeral arrangements for victims to treatment for injured people, payment for aid money and psychological therapy," Lee told a news conference., reported the Korea Times November 3.

He also said the National Center for Disasters and Trauma would expand its services in accordance with President Yoon's instructions not only to the families of the victims, injured victims, witnesses and emergency response officers who were at the scene, but also to the general public who were suffering psychological pressure.

"President Yoon stressed that we must achieve a major transformation into the safe Republic of Korea, which precisely determines every element that undermines the security of our society as a whole and fixes it completely," Lee said, adding that the president would hold a first meeting on a national review of security measures next Monday.

President Yoon held a meeting with his aides after making his fourth visit to the ritual of mourning for the victims of the tragedy on Thursday morning.

He arrived at the interior in front of City Hall with his aides and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, paying tribute to the victims by laying down the crisis, burning oily oil and lowering his head in a silent prayer.

The visit was the third time at the same and fourth almost in total, including a visit to the mourning rig near the scene of the tragedy last Tuesday.

The President announced a seven-day national mourning period, lasting until Saturday this week.

It is known that at least 156 people, mostly in their 20s, died in a wave of deadly crowds during Itaewon's Halloween celebrations on Saturday night.