Jo Kyung-tae: "Not Just the Minister's Issue... Police Chief Also Responsible"

"Urgent Moment, What Was the Yongsan Police Chief Doing?"
"Opposition Also Failed to Establish Safety System After Sewol"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jo Kyung-tae, a member of the People Power Party and considered one of the next party leadership contenders, commented on the calls for the dismissal of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min over the Itaewon Halloween accident, saying, "This is not just the problem of one minister," and added, "The police chief cannot be free from responsibility either."

On the morning of the 2nd, Jo appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' and said, "In any case, the government has an unlimited responsibility to protect the safety and lives of the people."

He also said, "Primarily, November 5th is a national mourning period, and I hope the ruling and opposition parties focus on managing the incident in a bipartisan manner," adding, "It would be better to address personnel matters after that."

A recording revealing that the police ignored 11 reports caused a stir when it was released the previous day. Jo said, "I understand the police station involved is Yongsan Police Station, and in such a critical moment, I believe we all need to find out where the Yongsan police chief was and what he was doing," adding, "Of course, there are hardworking police officers, but I cannot help but point out the incompetence of the police."

He also criticized the opposition party, which is raising government responsibility issues. He said, "Didn’t the opposition party also promise the public to create a safe country after the Sewol ferry disaster?" and added, "They pledged to build a safe system, but they failed to properly establish it. It seems that now, even if legislation is passed, the ruling and opposition parties will treat it as a case of too little, too late."

He pointed out, "There were many casualties in the 2014 Pangyo Techno Valley fall accident," and said, "There are festivals hosted by local governments or unclear organizers in various places, and the National Assembly should have paid more attention to the various safety accidents occurring at these events, but clearly, it did not."

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