Opposition: "Without Ruling Party Cooperation, Request for State Audit Submission Tomorrow"... Han Deok-su, Lee Sang-min and Others Expected to Be Investigated

Plan to Persuade Ruling Party at Today's Operations Committee
Focus on Accountability, Demands for Dismissal and Removal
Report to Be Presented at Plenary Session 10 Days After Submission of Demands

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The opposition party is reportedly planning to include all related parties, from Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to Park Hee-young, the mayor of Yongsan District, in the national investigation into the Itaewon tragedy. As the ruling party refuses to cooperate with the national investigation, the possibility of the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party, proceeding unilaterally has increased.

A senior official of the Democratic Party leadership said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 8th, "The summons for the national investigation will include Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Commissioner of the National Police Agency Yoon Hee-geun, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young, among all related parties," adding, "We will demand accountability from them." He further stated, "Since negotiations with the ruling party have broken down, there is a high possibility that the request will be submitted unilaterally tomorrow (the 9th)."

The party leadership continued to exert comprehensive pressure on the 8th, emphasizing that alongside the national investigation, a special prosecutor should also be pursued to uncover the truth and investigate the incident. At the morning policy coordination meeting, Floor Leader Park Hong-geun raised his voice, saying, "The president should formally apologize to the people, dismiss Prime Minister Han who has shown total incompetence, and immediately remove Minister Lee and Commissioner Yoon." He also stated, "The investigation should not be used as an excuse to block the national investigation. There are many cases where investigations, national investigations, and special prosecutors proceed simultaneously," and added, "We will exercise maximum patience and persuasion until today."

The day before, the floor leaders of both parties met in a closed session chaired by National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo but failed to reach an agreement regarding the national investigation. The opposition insists on adopting the national investigation plan at the plenary session scheduled for the 10th, while the ruling party argues that the national investigation should be conducted after the investigation progresses, showing a clear difference in stance. The opposition plans to continue discussions at the National Assembly Steering Committee's audit session, but the possibility of agreement remains low.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

In this regard, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said regarding the Democratic Party's demands for a national investigation, "What the people want is a swift forced investigation to report the truth to the public as soon as possible," adding, "Do not use the national investigation and special prosecutor as tools for political strife, but adopt a bipartisan cooperative attitude to sincerely soothe the grievances of the victims and the sorrow of the bereaved families." Floor Leader Joo also said, "Our party is willing to use any measures, including the national investigation and special prosecutor, if it is for swift cause identification and strict punishment of those responsible," but pointed out, "However, the national investigation and special prosecutor require parliamentary discussion and legal procedures, which could rather delay cause identification and punishment of those responsible."

The Democratic Party plans to submit the national investigation request on the 9th if negotiations with the ruling party fail, and hold a policy caucus to gather internal opinions. Subsequently, they intend to report at the plenary session on the 10th and prepare specific plans for forming the national investigation committee and other related measures.

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