SEOUL– Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday he is willing to meet the bereaved family members of victims of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, as he brushed off criticism that the government has demonstrated a lack of communication with them.

“If there is a request, I have to meet and I will meet,” Han told reporters.

Han made the remarks in response to a question about reports that bereaved family members are unhappy that the government has been reluctant to meet with a group of them or all of them.

Last week, Han visited a memorial altar near the site of the Oct. 29 tragedy that killed 158 people, but was forced to leave without paying tribute to the victims after being met with protests from bereaved family members.

He also rejected criticism that the government has not communicated with the bereaved family members, saying there are organizations in each ministry to communicate with them.

Source: Yonhap News Agency