Itaewon declared special disaster area, subsidies to be disbursed

The government has declared Yongsan District, where Itaewon is located, as a "special disaster area" and will provide subsidies to those who have been injured and to the families of people killed in the tragedy Saturday night, Prime Minister Han ...

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo gives a briefing on Sunday at the government complex in central Seoul with a black ribbon on his heart. [YONHAP]

The government has declared Yongsan District, where Itaewon is located, as a "special disaster area" and will provide subsidies to those who have been injured and to the families of people killed in the tragedy Saturday night, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in an emergency briefing held Sunday at noon.

"We have decided to declare today, Nov. 5 as a national mourning period to pay our respects to the deceased," Han said.

"We will delay any events that are not urgent and declare Yongsan a special disaster area. We will provide the families of the deceased and those who have been injured with subsidies and other necessary measures. We will also work with embassies to make sure that the injured foreigners are properly supported."

A special disaster area is where a disaster occurs and "the maintenance of national security or social order is seriously affected, or it is deemed necessary to take special measures to effectively control the damage," according to the Framework Act On The Management Of Disasters And Safety.

The government will also run trauma centers for the families of the deceased and the injured.

"There are a little more than 150 deaths that have been reported, and we have identified over 90 percent of the deceased," said Lee Sang-min, the Minister of Interior and Safety.

"There are around 10 people who have not been identified, and some of the reasons are because they under 17 and they have not made their ID cards yet."

He said that in these cases, the families must come to identify the bodies. This is also the case for the bodies of foreigners.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]