Opposition National Assembly Special Committee on Investigation "Extension of Investigation Period Unavoidable"... Full-Scale Offensive Outside the Assembly

First Phase of Itaewon Disaster National Inquiry Agreed by Ruling and Opposition Parties to End on 7th Next Month
Yun Geon-yeong "May Need to Consider Postponing National Inquiry Schedule if Necessary"
Oh Young-hwan "There Was Consensus That at Least 4 Weeks of Inquiry Was Needed at the Time"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The special committee members of the National Assembly's special investigation into the Itaewon disaster, affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, requested an extension of the special investigation period on the 22nd.

According to the original plan agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties, the special investigation committee is scheduled to operate until January 7 of next year. After a total of 45 days of preparation, including document submission, the plan was to conduct agency reports, on-site inspections, and hearings. However, due to the mass resignation of ruling party committee members and refusal of government agencies to submit documents, half of the activity period has already passed, making an extension inevitable. Since the agreement allows for an extension by plenary session resolution, it is also expected that the ruling party will not oppose this.

Woo Sang-ho, Chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on the Itaewon Disaster Investigation, and members of the committee are paying their respects at the citizen memorial altar for the victims at Noksapyeong Station in Seoul on the 21st. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On the same day, Yoon Gun-young, a member of the special investigation committee, appeared on YTN Radio's "News King Park Ji-hoon" and said, "We cannot hold hearings without substance just because of a fixed schedule," adding, "If necessary, we should also consider postponing the special investigation schedule."

The special investigation into the Itaewon disaster, which resumed 52 days after the tragedy following the return of ruling party committee members who had resigned in protest against the motion to dismiss Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, began in earnest. During the first on-site investigation conducted the previous day, numerous questions were raised about the response process at the time of the incident. However, since the document submissions requested by the special investigation committee members remain insufficient, opposition party members are pointing out that the possibility of extending the activity period should be kept open for a thorough investigation.

Yoon said, "It is natural to extend the investigation if there is not enough time," and criticized, "It is clear that the current need for an extension was caused by the People Power Party." This was another criticism of the ruling party, which had all its committee members resign in retaliation for the forced passage of the motion to dismiss Minister Lee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Another special investigation committee member, Cho Eung-cheon, said on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that when asked if it would be possible to complete the basic schedule within the remaining time, "There is not even a date set for writing the report," adding, "Even just conducting the investigation and hearings within the schedule is almost impossible."

Cho said, "It is truly appreciated that the People Power Party members who had all resigned have come back to participate," but predicted, "If it becomes physically impossible, a situation even the ruling party acknowledges, then naturally the discussion about an extension will arise."

However, since even the document submissions currently demanded by the committee members are not being properly fulfilled, the consensus is that it is realistically difficult to complete a proper investigation by the initial deadline of January 7.

On the same day, Cho criticized, "Documents are not being properly provided," and said, "The reasons given are that investigations are ongoing, audits are underway, or it involves personal information, but according to the Witness Protection Act and the National Assembly Act on Special Investigations, these cannot be withheld. Except for national security, all documents must be submitted."

Woo Sang-ho, Chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on the Itaewon Disaster Investigation, and members of the committee are seen paying their respects at the citizen memorial altar for the victims at Noksapyeong Station in Seoul on the 21st, followed by conversations with the bereaved families. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Oh Young-hwan, who joined the special investigation committee replacing Shin Hyun-young, who resigned over the 'Doctor Car' boarding controversy, also criticized the passive document submission by government agencies, saying, "When listening to the ruling party members' statements yesterday, there were points they mentioned that we opposition members did not know about. It seems they have information only they know," and emphasized, "If they continue to oppose document submission until the end, prosecution should naturally follow."

On the morning of the same day on KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," Oh responded to the host's remark that only one or two weeks remain in the special investigation period, saying, "When the People Power Party linked this to the budget bill, we agreed to carry out the special investigation. The agreement was made under the assumption that the budget bill would be processed within the regular session," and explained, "There was a consensus that at least four weeks of special investigation was necessary."

He questioned, "If the budget bill had been extended until December 31, would the ruling party have argued that one week of special investigation was sufficient?" He continued, "They know it is physically impossible and have no grounds to oppose it. Ultimately, they have no choice but to acknowledge that an extension of the special investigation period is inevitable."

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