"Minister Sang-min Lee Must Take Responsibility and Resign"... Police Investigate Firefighters' Union Complainant

On the 14th, the Firefighters' Union of the Korean Public Officials Labor Union
Filed a complaint against Minister Lee for dereliction of duty and negligence causing injury or death

On the morning of the 23rd, the police began investigating the case of a complaint filed against Lee Sang-min, the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who is accused of neglecting disaster-related duties during the Itaewon tragedy.

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The police have launched an investigation into the accusation against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min for neglecting disaster-related duties during the Itaewon tragedy.

The Police Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) summoned Go Jinyoung, chairman of the Firefighters’ Union of the Public Officials Labor Union Federation (Gongnochoeng Firefighters’ Union), who filed the complaint against Minister Lee on charges of dereliction of duty and professional negligence resulting in injury or death, for a complainant investigation at 10 a.m. on the 23rd.

Before the investigation, Chairman Go urged a thorough investigation and the resignation of Minister Lee. He stated, “This tragedy is fundamentally a man-made disaster, and the safety management that had been maintained annually collapsed this time, which is the core cause of the tragedy,” adding, “The person with overall responsibility should resign and acknowledge the mistakes as the first step toward uncovering the truth and preventing recurrence.”

The Firefighters’ Union questioned the SIH’s investigation approach, saying it attempts to shift responsibility to frontline fire stations and other sites. Chairman Go said, “When I visited the frontline fire station, even personal handheld radios were seized,” and added, “Is the government, which drank, drove, violated traffic signals, and caused traffic accidents, trying to blame the recovery agencies? All responsibility is being shifted to the field, and no fundamental investigation for preventing recurrence is underway.”

They stated that Minister Lee’s specific actions and command responsibilities during the tragedy must be revealed through the investigation. Choi Jong-yeon, legal representative of the Firefighters’ Union from the law firm Work and People, said, “We regret that the minister’s office was excluded from the SIH’s search and seizure on the 17th,” and pointed out, “A swift forced investigation is necessary regarding the minister’s specific actions on the day of the tragedy and the following day, hourly command situations, and communication records.”

On the 14th, the Firefighters’ Union submitted a complaint to the SIH accusing Minister Lee of dereliction of duty and professional negligence resulting in injury or death, stating, “After the October 29 Itaewon tragedy, proper measures to investigate the highest responsible person have not been taken.”

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