Opposition Party Officially Moves to Launch State Investigation into 'Itaewon Disaster'

Democratic Party and People Power Party Express Joint Intention to Submit 'National Audit Request'
Witness Adoption and Investigation Scope Expected to Face Difficulties

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Hong-geun, floor leader, along with party members, are entering the 'Joint Memorial Altar for the Victims of the Itaewon Accident' set up at Seoul Plaza on the 1st to pay their respects. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing for a parliamentary investigation into the ‘Itaewon tragedy fact-finding.’ If the People Power Party agrees, the three main parties in the National Assembly, including the Justice Party, plan to jointly submit a request for the investigation.

On the 3rd, Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated at the policy coordination meeting, “We will conduct an unreserved parliamentary investigation to reveal every single minute and second that the state neglected its citizens,” and said he would submit the investigation request and have it processed by the plenary session. He particularly pressured, “Since the ruling party insists on a thorough investigation of the causes, there should be no reason to oppose the parliamentary investigation.”

However, the People Power Party has proposed the formation of a ‘Special Committee to Investigate the Itaewon Accident’ involving the government, ruling and opposition parties, and experts, so it is uncertain whether they will accept the opposition’s parliamentary investigation card. Parliamentary investigations, which generally require the request of at least one-quarter of the members present and bipartisan agreement, are controlled by the ruling party. There is a high possibility of confusion due to overlap with the Police Agency’s special investigation headquarters’ inquiry and the Administrative Safety Committee’s current issue report, and it is also difficult to reach an agreement on the formation of the special parliamentary investigation committee, the scope of the investigation, and its content.

Lee Soo-jin, a Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said, “156 people lost their lives. What the public demands is a proper fact-finding, and this should be judged according to the public’s expectations rather than being treated as a political dispute.” He added, “Since the government has proposed bipartisan cooperation, we urge participation in the parliamentary investigation request as well.”

Some point out that parliamentary investigations are often just political rhetoric and difficult to realize. During the 20th National Assembly, there were a total of 17 requests for parliamentary investigations, but only two were conducted over four years (humidifier disinfectant fact-finding and the state power abuse investigation).

For now, the Democratic Party plans to reach an agreement on the scope and subjects of the parliamentary investigation through consultations between the chief deputy floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties. When asked about the possibility of the People Power Party refusing to jointly submit the investigation request, Lee said, “We will ask the Justice Party, other opposition parties, and independent lawmakers to join us and move together.”

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