BEREAVED FAMILIES HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE

[Anchor Lead]

Families who lost their loved ones in last month's Itaewon crowd crush held their first press conference. Pouring out grief, they called on the government to sincerely apologize and hold those responsible to account.

[Pkg]

28 family members of the Itaewon crowd crush victims gathered for a press conference. Parents who lost their children had to pause many times during their speech. One father said that the very next day of the disaster, a text message arrived notifying his deceased daughter got accepted by the company she really wanted to work for.

[Soundbite] (Late victim Lee Sang-eun's family) : "I cried so much listening to your recorded voice on my phone when you broke the news that you passed the CPA exam."

The families said they still feel their loved ones will come back alive any moment when they hear the sound of the front door or the early morning alarm that goes off from their late children's mobile phones.

[Soundbite] (Late victim Lee Min-ah's family) : "I still feel my daughter will come through the door at night. It still feels unreal."

[Soundbite] (Late victim Lee Nam-hoon's family) : "An alarm goes off from my son's phone at 5:30 a.m. every day. He had a bad back but woke up early and worked hard. He is no longer with me."

As stories of the victims unfolded one after another, the families could no longer hold back their emotions and burst into tears. Stressing a similar tragedy can never happen again, they demanded a sincere apology from the government and a thorough investigation to hold those responsible to account that includes the participation of the victims's families.

[Soundbite] (Father of late victim Song Eun-ji) : "I want to ask what you were doing when our sons and daughters were perishing."

The civic group Minbyun or Lawyers for a Democratic Society recently filed a request with the court to preserve security camera footage and police communication records from the night of the disaster. The group will also provide bereaved families with litigation support. The Korean Bar Association is also set to launch a special agency to assist the families with legal counsel. Separately from the press conference, another group of some 20 family members are preparing to file a damages suit against the state.