(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Nov 16 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday pledged to determine whether there were safety lapses at a thermal plant site in the southeastern city of Ulsan, where seven workers were killed, and sternly punish those found accountable.

Lee made the remark after authorities on Friday recovered the last of the seven workers who were trapped when a 63-meter tower at the plant collapsed on November 6. The bodies of the six others had been recovered.

"As the person ultimately in charge of public safety, I am genuinely and deeply sorry," Lee wrote on Facebook, Yonhap News Agency reported. "Despite the people's wishes, all seven trapped workers returned to their families as bodies. My heart is deeply torn."

Lee called the accident one that "should not have happened" and vowed to prevent similar accidents.

"I will make sure that a tragedy like this is not repeated. We need to put an end to such a tragedy, where workplaces become a site of death."

The president called for a swift and thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident and vowed to take stern punitive measures against those found accountable, regardless of their positions.

He also called on relevant ministries to review safety circumstances at work sites from scratch and take necessary safety measures during the winter season.

In a separate post on X, Lee wrote that rewarding people with merits and punishing those with faults is the basic principle of running an organisation.

Lee's remarks were seen as supporting his administration's push to probe whether public officials were involved in illegal activities in connection with last year's botched martial law bid while simultaneously seeking measures to encourage civil servants.

On Tuesday, the government announced plans to form such a task force and unveiled a series of measures aimed at supporting active public administration and revitalising the civil service community the following day.

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