Conclusion: "State Audit to Be Decided After Investigation Results Are Announced"

Joo Ho-young: "If Investigation Is Inadequate, Willing to Participate"
All Factions Including New, Re-elected, and Senior Members Oppose at Party Meeting
Reconsideration of Investigation Targets and Scope if Participating

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and is going up to the podium to speak. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] The People Power Party reaffirmed its position that it will decide on participating in the parliamentary investigation into the Itaewon disaster requested by the three opposition parties?the Democratic Party, the Justice Party, and the Basic Income Party?after the investigation results are announced.

On the day, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader, told reporters after a party meeting at the National Assembly, “Regarding the necessity of a parliamentary investigation, the conclusion was reached that if the investigation results are insufficient, it can be conducted anytime,” reiterating the stance of ‘non-participation before the announcement of the investigation results.’ He explained, “The police investigation is currently ongoing, and moreover, with the regular session of the National Assembly nearing its end and various deliberations such as the budget underway, holding a parliamentary investigation would neither help uncover the truth nor would it avoid political strife.”

He added, “Unlike other incidents, there is no clear perpetrator or responsible party as defined under general civil law concerning the victims of the Itaewon disaster,” and explained, “Whether local governments, the government, Yongsan District Office in Seoul, Seoul City, or the Government of the Republic of Korea bear compensation responsibility is a legally very sensitive issue. It must be thoroughly checked and legal responsibility must be examined based on various grounds. Therefore, the compensation or indemnification phase will come from that process. Once that procedure is completed, if necessary, we are open to conducting a parliamentary investigation anytime.” The People Power Party plans to convey this conclusion to the Speaker’s office of the National Assembly later that afternoon.

Joo also revealed that during the party meeting, opinions were presented by representatives of first-term, second-term, and senior lawmakers, along with one or two free speeches. It is known that all expressed opposition to participating in the parliamentary investigation.

The three opposition parties submitted their parliamentary investigation plan on the Itaewon disaster to the National Assembly’s legislative affairs office on the same day. This was in response to Speaker Kim Jin-pyo’s request to submit the purpose, scope, duration, and the list of the special committee members for the parliamentary investigation by noon that day. The opposition parties proposed the investigation scope to include ▲ identifying the direct and indirect causes and responsibilities of the Yongsan Itaewon disaster ▲ the establishment and execution status of prior safety measures by the government and local governments ▲ the appropriateness of personnel deployment and operation in police, fire, administration, and healthcare sectors by the government and local governments before and after the disaster, as well as overall response measures. The investigation targets included the Presidential Secretariat, National Security Office, Presidential Security Service, and other presidential offices.

When asked whether there would be any changes to the investigation targets listed in the plan submitted by the three opposition parties if the People Power Party participates in the parliamentary investigation, Joo replied, “If it is deemed necessary and the investigation proceeds, those parts would need to be renegotiated,” adding, “The scope, duration, and other aspects have always been negotiated and agreed upon in past parliamentary investigations.”

Joo urged the Democratic Party, which intends to push through the adoption of the parliamentary investigation plan at the plenary session on the 24th, saying, “It would be better to wait a little longer, review the investigation results, and if there are shortcomings, reach an agreement.” He emphasized, “The Democratic Party has been pushing through with numerical strength, so that possibility is high, but if a parliamentary investigation is conducted unilaterally, it will not only reduce effectiveness but also set a bad precedent in constitutional history.”

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