Tourists from Israel on Nov. 1 pay tribute to those who died in the Itaewon incident by placing flowers in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Eun-young

The government will give a consolatory payment of KRW 20 million to the family of each foreign national who died in the Itaewon incident, the same as what a Korean citizen will get.

Domestic news outlets including Yonhap News said an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Nov. 1 announced this measure, adding that the ministry considered the humanitarian aspect of such assistance first because the incident occurred where an unspecified large number of people assembled.

The foreign nationals who died in the incident will also each get KRW 15 million for their funerals, including the cost of repatriating their bodies abroad. Their relatives who visit Korea will receive a daily stipend of KRW 70,000 per family.

Applications for consolatory payment and funeral expenses must be submitted this week. Expats in the country must apply to their districts based on their addresses, while short-term residents must submit them to Yongsan-gu Office.

The ministry is contacting the families of the foreign nationals who died in the incident through the Korean embassies in their respective countries and expressing condolences. Due to differences in funeral culture, religion and customs, one official will be dispatched for each deceased person for the support process.

Discussions are underway with relevant public agencies on paying the medical fees for the injured.

Ministry spokesperson Lim Soosuk in a regular briefing that day said, "We will do our best until the incident is fully resolved."

On the wishes of the families of the deceased, he said, "We will respect and reflect their will and intent as much as possible and show the proper respect."

As of Nov. 1, 26 foreign nationals from 14 countries including Iran, China and Japan died in the Itaewon incident.

eykim86@korea.kr