"No One Apologizes"… Accountability Debate Rises One Day After Armistice

"A Government That Doesn't Know How to Apologize..." Democratic Party Takes a Hard Line
People Power Party Warns "This Is a Time for Mourning, Not Interrogation" Avoiding Responsibility Debate
Some in the Ruling Party Demand "Dismissal of Lee Sang-min" and "Public Apology"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with other top committee members, is offering flowers at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident, set up at Noksapyeong Station Plaza in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 31st of last month. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] On the day after the Itaewon tragedy, on the 30th of last month, the ruling and opposition parties pledged to refrain from political strife and vowed bipartisan cooperation. However, just one day later, the opposition parties began raising the issue of 'government responsibility.' The Democratic Party of Korea labeled the tragedy as a 'man-made disaster' and criticized the government, saying, "We have never seen anyone offer a sincere apology." The People Power Party is refraining from direct responses, stating that this is a "time for mourning, not interrogation." However, some within the ruling party have called for the dismissal of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and a "public apology."

The Democratic Party emphasized the need to clearly identify responsibility for the tragedy, while stating, "We will cooperate swiftly on a bipartisan basis" and "At this time, all efforts should be focused on recovery and consolation." Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 31st of last month, "There are many criticisms that this was a predictable man-made disaster that could have been prevented," adding, "We must thoroughly examine whether there were any shortcomings in preventive measures, on-site safety management, or initial accident response to dispel public doubts and concerns."

Supreme Council member Ko Min-jung sharply criticized, saying, "(The government authorities) are only uttering things like 'We will not offer soulless apologies,' 'This was not an event we hosted,' and 'Wasn't the crowd that large?'" She added, "While recovery from the accident is a priority now, there are many questions we want to ask about what preventive and preparatory measures the government had." She further criticized, "An incompetent government is hard enough to bear, but a government that does not know how to grieve or apologize is truly difficult to endure."

The People Power Party is refraining from direct responses to the Democratic Party's criticisms, saying "Now is a time for mourning." Since this is a national mourning period for the victims of the tragedy, they are minimizing statements and actions that could be seen as political strife. There is also a sense of caution against the spread of responsibility claims toward the government and ruling party. At the same day’s emergency committee meeting, Emergency Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok said, "Now is a time for mourning, not interrogation," adding, "It is the responsibility of the government and political circles to prepare measures to prevent such accidents from happening again."

People related to the People Power Party, including Jeong Jin-seok, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, visited the joint memorial altar at Seoul Plaza on the morning of the 31st of last month to pay their respects to the victims of the Itaewon tragedy. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

However, criticism continued within the People Power Party regarding Minister Lee’s 'evasive' remarks. At a briefing on the Itaewon tragedy held at the Government Seoul Office on the 30th of last month, Minister Lee said, "Deploying police and fire personnel in advance would not have solved the problem," "Compared to before, there was not an unusually large crowd," and "It is understood that a similar level of forces was deployed as during normal times," which drew public backlash.

People Power Party leadership candidates such as Kim Ki-hyun, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Cho Kyung-tae expressed regret over Minister Lee’s remarks, saying, "Such remarks should have been avoided," "They were not persuasive," and "Public officials must bear unlimited responsibility to the people." There were also calls for his dismissal. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min urged on Facebook, "The government should have anticipated the dangerously large crowd and prepared in advance. Whether police or local governments, that was the government's responsibility," and demanded, "The minister should be dismissed immediately."

Lawmaker Park Hyung-soo demanded a "public apology." In an interview with MBN on the 1st, Park said, "He should have made remarks appropriate for a time of mourning, but his comments rather hinder the mourning process," adding, "I hope Minister Lee makes a public apology, and the opposition party reflects on the meaning of the mourning period and refrains from turning this into excessive political strife." Facing growing criticism, Minister Lee issued an apology the previous day, stating, "I regret making remarks that may have caused public concern."

Meanwhile, a presidential office official told the media that Minister Lee’s remarks were understood as "an expression that, under the current powers and systems granted to the police, it is difficult to prevent or proactively respond to leaderless gatherings or protests like the Itaewon incident," and added, "This will be improved going forward, and it is believed that Minister Lee spoke with this intention." This is interpreted as effectively defending Minister Lee and drawing a line against calls for dismissal or a public apology.

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