Over 100,000 Signatures on National Petition for Disclosure of Park Geun-hye Sewol Ferry Records... Referred to Standing Committee

On October 26th, a press conference urging the National Assembly to legislate for a thorough investigation of the Sewol ferry disaster without any sanctuary was held in front of the main gate of the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A Blue House petition demanding the disclosure of former President Park Geun-hye's records related to the Sewol ferry disaster has garnered over 100,000 signatures, leading to its referral to the relevant standing committee for review.

On the 1st, the April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families Association and the April 16 Promise National Solidarity announced, "Two petitions, one for the amendment of the Special Act on Social Disasters and the other for the disclosure of President Park's records, both requiring urgent action by the 21st National Assembly, have each reached 100,000 participants."

Since last month, they have been conducting a petition campaign demanding that the National Assembly resolve to disclose documents produced and received by former President Park Geun-hye's Secretariat, Security Office, and National Security Office related to the Sewol ferry disaster.

After former President Park's impeachment in 2017, Hwang Kyo-ahn, acting president at the time, designated the Sewol-related records as presidential records and transferred them to the National Archives. A lawsuit demanding the disclosure of these records has been under review by the Supreme Court for one year and six months.

Following the petition's referral to the National Assembly standing committee, the 416 Solidarity stated, "We felt and saw that the hearts of the people are no different from those of our bereaved families," adding, "We will work harder to lead the investigation into the Sewol disaster, hold those responsible accountable, and build a safe Korea that respects life. We deeply thank all the citizens who participated in and supported the petition."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.