▲ The National Human Rights Commission (Yonhap)

rights watchdog-Itaewon crush

Gov't must acknowledge responsibility in Halloween crowd crush: rights watchdog

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- The head of the state human rights watchdog urged the government Friday to acknowledge its responsibility for the bungled response to the Itaewon crowd crush, and look thoroughly into what went wrong and who is responsible.

"The government must clearly acknowledge the nation's responsibility for failing to protect the people's lives by not properly responding to a predictable danger," Song Doo-hwan, chief of the National Human Rights Commission, said in a statement.

Song urged the government to take all necessary steps in investigating who or what caused the Halloween crowd crush Saturday that killed at least 156 people, recommending a parliamentary inspection or an independent investigation team.

"Follow-up measures, such as finding out those responsible or coming up with measures to prevent similar incidents, must be carried out promptly," Song said.

The chief also urged support for the victims and their families, such as counseling for their mental health and legal assistance for their compensation.

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