Woo Sang-ho "Cannot Let the National Investigation Fail Like This... Will Start Even with a Partial Opening" (Comprehensive)

"More than Half of the Activity Period Has Passed, Yet No Progress Made"
Full Meeting Scheduled on the 19th to Decide on Schedule and Witnesses
People Power Party: "Opposition Must Honor Agreement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairman of the special committee for the Itaewon disaster state investigation, declared, "On the morning of the 19th, we will hold a full meeting of the special committee to adopt the main investigation schedule and witnesses."

Chairman Woo stated this during a press briefing held on the 18th at the Democratic Party floor leader’s office in the National Assembly, saying, "We can no longer delay the Itaewon disaster state investigation."

He said, "The Itaewon disaster state investigation is the firm command of the people and the earnest wish of the bereaved families," adding, "We must get it up and running as soon as possible and fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to the National Assembly."

Chairman Woo said, "The special committee for the state investigation was officially launched with the plenary session’s approval on November 24 and was given a 45-day activity period," adding, "24 days have passed, and now only 21 days remain." He pointed out, "The special committee was scheduled to begin full-scale activities along with the budget bill’s processing, but it has missed the legal deadline, the regular session’s end date on the 9th, and even the deadline proposed by the Speaker on the 15th. More than half of the activity period has passed, yet no progress has been made."

He criticized, "While the special committee for the state investigation has done nothing, those responsible seem to have forgotten the memory of the disaster and have even uttered outrageous remarks," adding, "No one is properly holding anyone accountable for the disaster, so they can behave that way. They should be the first to feel ashamed, but the National Assembly, which fails to hold them accountable properly, should also be ashamed."

Floor leader Woo lamented, "While no one takes responsibility, a young survivor of the disaster six days ago voluntarily followed friends who had passed away," adding, "We live in a sad country that failed to protect not only the victims of the disaster but even the survivors."

He said, "The longer the wait, the more the truth of the disaster will fade, and another tragedy may occur," adding, "I judge that we can no longer delay."

Accordingly, he said, "As chairman of the special committee for the state investigation, I want to make a decision," adding, "If the National Assembly continues to be deadlocked like now, I think the state investigation should proceed regardless of the National Assembly’s schedule."

He further declared, "I will definitely put those responsible for the disaster on the judgment stand of truth-finding."

In a Q&A session with reporters, Chairman Woo said, "The ruling party said the budget bill has not passed yet, so isn’t agreement first? I decided as chairman that if we cannot start initially, we should proceed even in a ‘forced start’ manner." He added, "If the ruling and opposition party floor leaders can negotiate well even today, it would be desirable for both sides to start with a schedule adjustment meeting."

When asked about consultations with the leadership, he said, "The consultations are finished," explaining, "They said they would respect my position on the ‘forced start’ approach." He said, "It would be most ideal for both ruling and opposition parties to participate together, and the bereaved families would want that. We cannot let the state investigation fail, so we reluctantly start, but I believe the ruling party will definitely attend."

Chairman Woo said, "For now, I judged that starting is the most important," adding, "It is inappropriate to talk about extending the special committee today." He explained that although a four-week schedule was originally planned based on starting the special committee on the 12th, it was delayed due to budget negotiations. He emphasized, "Only 21 days remain, and I said this because I am concerned that the state investigation should not be canceled any longer due to the budget."

However, he said, "I will watch how the ruling and opposition parties’ negotiations proceed," adding, "I proposed to finalize it by tomorrow morning."

Meanwhile, Jang Dong-hyuk, floor leader of the People Power Party, commented on this, saying, "Is agreement with the Democratic Party something to keep only when it is advantageous and break whenever it is disadvantageous?" He pointed out, "I reiterate that the agreement was to ‘conduct the state investigation after passing the budget bill.’" He said, "If the state investigation starts first, the budget negotiations will drag on endlessly," adding, "The proper order is to process the budget bill first and then discuss the state investigation." He criticized, "A unilateral push is a reckless choice by the Democratic Party to close all doors themselves," and said, "While one side endlessly blocks the budget bill, the other side uses the delayed budget bill as an excuse to talk about a ‘forced start.’ I hope this is not just ‘stoking the fire’ to extend the state investigation period unilaterally by the opposition."

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