[Itaewon Tragedy] Opposition Visits Site to "Cooperate on Situation"... Draws Line on 'Yoon Responsibility' (Summary)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Democratic Party of Korea visited the site of the Itaewon Halloween accident, which resulted in over 150 deaths, stating, "The Democratic Party will actively cooperate in the swift resolution of the situation." While suggesting that this incident was a 'man-made disaster (人災),' they drew a line against opposition party claims that the incident occurred because of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Park Chan-dae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, visited the Itaewon accident site on the afternoon of the 30th and expressed, "My heart is very heavy. First, I would like to offer my condolences to all those who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident." The Democratic Party held an emergency Supreme Council meeting that day to establish an accident response and countermeasure headquarters, with Park serving as the head. The visit included Lee Seong-man, the party’s Disaster Countermeasure Committee Chair, Kim Yong-ho, Chair of the Seoul City Party Committee, and Kang Tae-woong, Yongsan District Committee Chair.

He said, "Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the foremost duty of the state," adding, "Since this was the first no-mask Halloween festival in three years, everyone expected a large crowd, but if there had been sufficient preparation, this tragedy could have been avoided. It truly pains my heart."

Supreme Council member Park stated, "To swiftly resolve the situation, our Democratic Party will actively cooperate and make efforts," and added, "We will do our utmost to manage the accident and take necessary measures with the best cooperation possible."

When asked by a reporter whether he considered the incident a man-made disaster, Park responded, "I think many citizens believe this was a tragedy that could have been avoided," while also saying, "At this moment, we should focus on comforting the bereaved families and victims and on the maximum resolution of the situation."

Within the party, there are claims that the incident is the president’s fault. On the same day, Nam Young-hee, Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute, posted on her social network service (SNS), "All of this is due to the security personnel concentrated at the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense Presidential Office," and claimed, "This is a major disaster caused by the hasty relocation of the Blue House. It is because of the rare president, Yoon Seok-yeol, who still commutes from Acro Vista in Seocho-dong."

In response, Supreme Council member Park said, "This was not a party statement but a personal opinion," and "I understand that the opinion was later withdrawn."

Although Deputy Director Nam deleted the post, she did not explicitly retract the opinion expressed in it. She also posted an additional message saying, "I still cannot contain my grief and anger," and requested, "(Please) remove the smiling photos from a few years ago from the articles. It is a cruel act mocking those who are grieving."

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