Itaewon 'Disaster' or 'Accident'?..."Avoiding Responsibility May Cause Further Conflict"

Guidelines Delivered by Ministry of the Interior on 30th Last Month
Disaster Referred to as Accident, Victims as Deceased
According to Disaster and Safety Basic Act, 'Accident'
However, Doubts Arise Over Responsibility Evasion
"Creating Unnecessary Controversy During Accident Management"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] An unexpected debate over terminology has erupted regarding the Itaewon tragedy, in which 156 people lost their lives. Experts pointed out that the government's attitude of evading responsibility could lead to social conflict.

On the 1st, Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, apologized during a press briefing held at the Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, saying, "As one of the heads of related agencies, I feel a heavy responsibility toward the public who were deeply shocked by this 'incident'." Following this, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, and Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District, also referred to the Itaewon tragedy as an 'incident' and issued apologies on the same day.

They appear to have spoken in accordance with government guidelines. On the 30th of last month, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety instructed local governments to use the term 'incident' instead of 'tragedy' and 'deceased' instead of 'victims' or 'casualties' when setting up joint memorial altars. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters explained the day before that this was "in line with internal regulations to use disaster-related terms as neutrally as possible" and denied any intention by the government to evade responsibility.

A heated debate unfolded in the National Assembly. On the previous day, lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea criticized the Yoon administration for changing the terminology during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee hearing on the National Human Rights Commission. Lee Dong-joo, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "Foreign media describe this as a disaster, but the Yoon administration used the term incident, causing an uproar," adding, "The choice of words itself reflects the Yoon administration's perception of this tragedy." On the other hand, the People Power Party rebutted that they were merely using legal terms. Jang Dong-hyuk, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "According to the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety, the term 'incident' is used for social disasters," and added, "Victims are also expressed as deceased, missing, or injured."

During the national mourning period following the Itaewon tragedy, chrysanthemums were placed near the Itaewon tragedy site in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Experts also explain that legally, terms like 'incident' and 'deceased' are correct. Moon Hyun-chul, a professor in the Department of Disaster and Safety Management at Soongsil University, said, "The Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety designates such situations as 'incidents,'" adding, "From an administrative perspective, there is no problem with the government calling it an incident." In fact, a review of the relevant law found no mention of the term 'tragedy.'

However, there are also criticisms that doubts are inevitable. It is argued that the use of more neutral terms is being enforced to avoid responsibility. Jeong Wan, a professor at Kyung Hee University Law School, said, "From the police officers who commanded the scene of the tragedy, including Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, to Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety who established the Police Bureau and took control of the police, all can be held accountable," adding, "It can be suspected that they call it an 'incident,' a term with relatively diminished meaning, to escape such responsibility."

Criticism has also been raised that unnecessary controversy was stirred up at a time when the tragedy needs to be managed. There are also concerns that the government is not focusing on managing the tragedy, as the police have already been creating documents to monitor civic groups related to the Itaewon tragedy. Professor Moon said, "It is inappropriate to create controversy at a time when we need to manage the tragedy and gather wisdom," explaining, "It inevitably triggers further conflicts."

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