President Lee: "People are still losing their lives across society... Government must act faster"

At the National Life Safety Committee plenary meeting on Oct. 28
"There is no value that takes precedence over protecting people's lives"

President Lee Jaemyeong said on the 28th, "Even at this very moment, people are losing their lives in communities across our society," adding, "We must make sure to reduce deaths that could have been prevented if the government had acted sooner."

Speaking at a plenary meeting of the National Life and Safety Commission at Cheong Wa Dae that afternoon, President Lee said, "There is no value that takes precedence over the state's duty to protect the lives and safety of its people."

President Lee Jaemyeong speaks at the second plenary meeting of the National Life and Safety Commission at Cheong Wa Dae on Oct. 28, 2026. Yonhap News

President Lee pointed out, "In the past, safety at hazardous workplaces and in vehicles used by transport workers was something people had to protect for themselves," adding, "But economic growth and national development mean nothing if people lose their lives at work and cannot return home."

With the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon disaster on Oct. 29 approaching, President Lee said, "There were many deaths that could clearly have been prevented and lives that could have been saved, both before and after the disaster." He urged the country to "always engage in painful self-reflection on whether it properly protected people's lives and whether victims and their families received sufficient protection."

He continued, "Though belated, the Basic Act on Life Safety, which establishes the people's right to safety as a basic right under law, has been enacted through the efforts of everyone here. It will take effect this December." He explained, "The law embodies the reflection and resolve of all the people to ensure that precious lives are never again lost because of the state's absence."

President Lee added, "We must never forget that this law was created on a foundation of countless tears and suffering." He said the achievement of enacting the law should be judged not by how many measures have been introduced, but by whether more lives have actually been protected and saved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.