The rival political parties have set aside wrangling to mourn the loss of more than 150 lives in the fatal crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon on Saturday.

The leadership from the ruling People Power Party(PPP) convened an emergency meeting for the second straight day on Monday to discuss ways to pick up the pieces from the tragedy.

PPP interim chief Chung Jin-suk, who paid his respects at a joint memorial altar at Seoul Plaza, called for restraint in the wake of groundless rumors being disseminated about the deceased, police and firefighters.

Chung also promised to come up with preventive measures and reexamine the social safety net.

Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, who paid respects at another memorial altar near Itaewon, apologized for failing to protect public lives and safety as the main opposition leader.

Stressing that now is a time to console those that suffered losses and to focus on overcoming the tragedy, Lee pledged to cooperate with the government and the ruling party.

The DP chief added, however, that it is also a parliamentary duty to determine the cause of the accident and where the responsibility lies before putting forth preventive steps.