The 'Itaewon Disaster' Special Committee Halted by Budget Politics, 'Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations' Continue

Daily Contact Between Ruling and Opposition Whips, Behind-the-Scenes Work on Schedule
Ruling Party Members Hold Off Resignation Before 'Budget Bill Processing'
Opposition: "Meeting Must Be Held on the 16th to Finalize Schedule"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] It has been confirmed that the ruling and opposition party secretaries of the National Assembly’s Special Committee for the State Audit to investigate the truth behind the 'Itaewon Disaster' are continuing daily negotiations to discuss the detailed schedule of the state audit. However, as the ruling party’s floor leadership continues to withhold its stance on the participation of the audit committee members, the committee members find themselves in a dilemma, unable to either resume or suspend their activities.

According to a compilation of Asia Economy’s coverage on the 16th, it was confirmed that the ruling and opposition party secretaries of the special committee have been meeting daily to discuss matters related to the state audit. This is to negotiate detailed procedures such as witness adoption, data requests, and hearing procedures necessary for advancing the state audit.

However, ruling party members are officially finding it difficult to participate in activities. This is because on the 11th, ruling party members conveyed their intention to resign from the state audit committee to the People Power Party’s floor leadership. However, since the decision was left to the floor leadership, the leadership has put the resignation decision on hold.

The apparent reason for the ruling party’s suspension of audit activities is the 'budget bill processing.' This is because the ruling and opposition parties have tentatively agreed on 'processing the budget bill first, then conducting the state audit.' However, as the budget bill negotiations have yet to be concluded, the state audit activities have also been stalled. With 24 days having passed out of the total 45-day activity period agreed upon by both parties, if the budget bill processing is further delayed, it is highly likely that the state audit activities will be effectively nullified.

That said, the ruling party cannot completely withdraw. This is because if they abandon not only the state audit agreed upon by both parties but also the investigation into the truth behind the Itaewon Disaster, they may face a backlash from public opinion. For this reason, while the ruling party is ostensibly suspending the special committee’s activities, it appears to be continuing behind-the-scenes efforts in preparation for a possible return after the budget bill is processed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In fact, ruling party committee members are refraining from making official statements until the leadership’s decision is made. Lee Man-hee, the ruling party secretary, said in a phone interview with this paper, "For now, the representative has not given any special remarks. The stance seems to be to process the budget bill first and then gather opinions within the party to make a decision." Regarding the intention to return to the committee, he added, "It is difficult to express a position at this time."

The Democratic Party holds the position that the state audit should begin by next week at the latest, regardless of the budget bill processing. A source from the opposition party secretaries said, "We plan to hold a plenary meeting on the 16th," and explained, "We need to discuss the overall schedule, witness adoption, and on-site investigation schedule without delay."

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