{"id":2199341,"date":"2022-11-04T10:20:03","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T10:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199341"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:02","slug":"south-koreas-poor-response-to-crowd-crush-tragedy-faces-international-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/11\/south-koreas-poor-response-to-crowd-crush-tragedy-faces-international-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s poor response to crowd crush tragedy faces international criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"
The tragic Halloween crowd crush in Seoul has haunted South Korea all week, and the fallout from the government\u2019s response to the disaster increasingly looks like it could damage the country\u2019s international reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n Out of the 156 people who died in Saturday\u2019s crowd surge, 26 were foreigners, and the struggle of several of their family members to pay to have the victims\u2019 bodies shipped home has grown into a controversial issue. Many have criticized the government for not providing sufficient assistance, compelling Seoul\u2019s foreign ministry not only to <\/span>promise to provide<\/span><\/a> 35 million won (~US$24,700) to each family of a foreign victim, but also significantly simplify paperwork.<\/span><\/p>\n An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman also openly <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> South Korean authorities of not organizing the festivities in Itaewon properly, after Iran lost five citizens in the crowd surge \u2014 more than any other country outside Korea. Tehran\u2019s criticism is at least partially politically motivated, after Seoul <\/span>condemned<\/span><\/a> the Iranian government\u2019s <\/span>suppression<\/span><\/a> of anti-hijab protests.<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless, extensive foreign media coverage of the Itaewon disaster and its aftermath place additional pressure on the Yoon administration, which has emphasized internationalism and portrayed itself as a defender of the values-based <\/span>international order<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>human rights<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to counter foreign criticism, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held an <\/span>unscheduled press conference<\/span><\/a> on Wednesday for foreign journalists. He answered sharp questions in great detail and with seeming sincerity for two and a half hours.<\/span><\/p>\n But even this unprecedented event may not have had its intended effect after the prime minister made an <\/span>offhand joke<\/span><\/a> about technical problems that many people saw as improper, leading him to <\/span>issue an apology<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n