President Yoon Suk-yeol greets monks at Bongeun Temple in Seoul's southern district of Gangnam on Tuesday. Courtesy of presidential office

By Lee Yeon-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol had a flurry of meetings with religious leaders as the nation grieves for the losses of lives in a crowd disaster in Itaewon on Oct. 29.

Since last week, Yoon has been attending memorial services hosted by different religious groups and meeting various Protestant, Catholic, and Buddhist leaders.

According to the presidential office, President Yoon visited Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on Wednesday to meet Archbishop Chung Soon-taick and Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung. He visited Bongeun Temple in Seoul's Gangnam District the day before to meet with Buddhist leaders, and invited Christian leaders to the presidential office for lunch.

"A lot of lives have been lost due to the tragedy, and not only the bereaved families but the entire nation are grieving and feeling pain from the losses. The president is trying to get advice on how the nation can be united again and overcome this national tragedy amid comfort and encouragements," the presidential office said.

The office added that President Yoon will also seek advice from other religious leaders in the future.

"I feel terrible that this tragedy happened after I take charge of the administration. It's heartbreaking to think about the parents of the victims who couldn't come back home from the festival," he said to Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung.

At Bongeun Temple, President Yoon met six monks ― Ven. Jaseung, Ven. Jagwang, Ven. Dohu, Ven. Jimyeong, Ven. Hyegeo and Ven. Wonmyeong ― who lead the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The Jogye Order is one of the biggest Buddhist sects in Korea.

President Yoon requested their encouragement for people who find it hard to resume daily life after the tragedy. "I came here to ask for your support for people struggling to return to normal," Yoon said.

In response, Ven. Jaseung advised him to be flexible and thorough in his explanations to the public so they can understand what the government plans to do. Ven. Hyegeo said that he hopes that the country can overcome this struggle wisely by resolving conflicts and achieving harmony.

At lunch, President Yoon also thanked Protestant church leaders for hosting a church service honoring the victims. He said he believes a lot of people were consoled and encouraged by their service held at Baekseok University in South Chungcheong Province, Saturday.

President Yoon Seok-yul and first lady Kim Keon-hee pray to honor the victims of the Itaewon tragedy during a memorial mass held at Myeongdong Cathedral in downtown Seoul, Sunday. Newsis

Earlier, President Yoon paid tribute to the victims of the Itaewon tragedy five days in a row at mourning altars until the national mourning period ended on Saturday. Along with that, he attended many religious service honoring the victims.

He attended a Buddhist memorial service at the Jogye Temple on Friday. Then he attended a church service organized by the United Christian Churches of Korea on Saturday, and then a memorial mass held at the Myeongdong Cathedral on Sunday with first lady Kim Keon-hee.

He made his first official apology while participating in the Buddhist memorial service on Friday. "I feel deplorable and sorry as a president who is in charge of the people's lives and safety."

The presidential office explained his visit to the religious services, by saying he "believes survivors, bereaved family, friends, and the country should be consoled while it's also important to investigate the reason behind this tragedy and find who's responsible."

Meanwhile, some politicians from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea accused President Yoon of trying to avoid responsibility by cozying up to the religious leaders.

In a local radio interview, Monday, former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won said the president should "come back to his place" and "do his job." Park said that the president's job doesn't end only with visiting the religious community and praying, but with taking responsibility for what happened. Park urged him to investigate the matter of responsibility thoroughly.