[Reporter’s Notebook] The National Assembly Is Not a Battleground: The Itaewon Investigation Must Not Become Political Strife

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Sobbed cries and screams continued. At the first on-site investigation of the National Assembly's special committee on the 'Itaewon Disaster' fact-finding, the bereaved families clung to the committee members, pleading, "Please keep your promises." Amid the swirling snowflakes, the tearful cries of "National investigation, fact-finding" were not mere slogans but the hearts of families who lost loved ones and were devastated.

The bereaved families are anxious. The Itaewon special committee on the disaster was idle for 20 days after its launch last month, nearly a month after the tragedy. Due to conflicts over the next year's budget approval and the dismissal issue of Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the ruling party boycotted, and procedures such as agency reports were not conducted at all. On the 19th, with 17 days left out of the 45-day activity period ending on the 7th of next month, the committee started half-heartedly without the participation of the People Power Party members. Since 158 victims lost their lives in the heart of Seoul, it is only proper for lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties to fully engage in the fact-finding investigation, but the investigation has been caught in the whirlpool of political strife from the start.

Finally, the joint ruling and opposition national investigation has taken its first step, but the sparks of political conflict remain. More than three weeks are needed for procedures such as witness selection and hearings necessary for the national investigation, but only about two weeks remain. To properly conduct the national investigation, an extension of the deadline is inevitable. However, the ruling and opposition parties are poised to clash again over whether to extend the period. They appear to be more concerned with party advantages than thorough fact-finding.

Moreover, past cases where national investigations fizzled out increase the bereaved families' anxiety. The 2014 Sewol ferry national investigation was conducted earlier than the Itaewon disaster investigation, completing preliminary investigations, agency reports, and additional on-site investigations, but during the remaining month, the ruling and opposition parties struggled over witness selection for hearings, resulting in the cancellation of all hearing schedules. Also, the 2017 national investigation into the Park Geun-hye administration's state corruption held hearings, but only 4 out of 20 witnesses attended, ending as a 'watered-down hearing.' The Itaewon disaster investigation, which started even later, is also likely to be frustrated without overcoming the major hurdle of hearings.

Since the ruling and opposition parties have painfully joined hands, it is hoped that sincerity will be shown during the remaining period of the national investigation process. The cries at the Itaewon site of "Why are you lying?" and "Conduct a proper investigation" must be remembered. We earnestly hope that the tears shown while bowing to the bereaved families and saying "We are truly sorry" are sincere.

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