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A special law mandating the formation of a special investigation committee for the re-investigation of the so-called 'Itaewon disaster' was unilaterally passed by the opposition party.

On the afternoon of the 9th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed the "Special Act on Guaranteeing the Rights of Victims of the October 19 Itaewon Disaster, Fact-Finding, and Prevention of Recurrence," which was submitted at the request of the Democratic Party of Korea. Only opposition lawmakers, including those from the Democratic Party, participated in the vote, and it was approved unanimously by all 177 members present. The People Power Party boycotted the vote in protest against the opposition's forced passage.

On the 9th, the plenary session held at the National Assembly passed the "Special Act on Guaranteeing the Rights of Victims of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, Fact-Finding, and Prevention of Recurrence." Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The ruling and opposition parties had reached some consensus through negotiations, including the establishment of the special investigation committee, but failed to narrow differences on details such as committee composition. Although there was a plan to continue negotiations until the morning following a luncheon meeting between National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and the floor leaders of both parties the previous day, the talks ultimately broke down.

The "Itaewon Special Act," which passed the National Assembly led by the opposition centered on the Democratic Party, aims to form a special investigation committee to uncover the truth behind the disaster. The special committee will consist of 11 members, including 3 standing members. The National Assembly Speaker will recommend 3 members after consulting with bereaved families and related organizations, and both ruling and opposition parties will each recommend 4 members, after which the President will appoint them.

Additionally, the standing members will be recommended by the National Assembly Speaker and each party with one member each. The chairperson will be elected from among the standing members by the committee's resolution. The committee staff will number 60, and if necessary, requests can be made for the dispatch of public officials from the government and local governments. The activity period is set within one year, but can be extended twice by three months each, allowing a maximum activity period of one year and six months.

On the 4th, in Seoul Plaza, Jung-gu, Seoul, officials from the Itaewon Disaster Countermeasures Committee are marching after concluding a nationwide simultaneous press conference for the enactment of a special law to investigate the Itaewon disaster. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Before the plenary session on the same day, the Democratic Party submitted a revised bill partially reflecting a mediation proposal by Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. First, the authority of the special investigation committee to request a special prosecutor, which was in the original Democratic Party bill, was removed, and the enforcement date was changed from "three months after promulgation" to "April 10 of this year."

However, since the bill was again forcibly passed without bipartisan agreement, there is a possibility that President Yoon Seok-yeol may exercise his veto power. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said regarding the possibility of recommending a veto, "I don't think today is the time to talk about that."

Im Oh-kyung, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, told reporters immediately after the plenary session that when asked about the response plan to the possibility of the president exercising veto power, "(The Itaewon Special Act) is a law that must be passed through bipartisan agreement, and I believe the Democratic Party and the Speaker's office have carefully observed the process." She added, "I don't know if the president, having observed this process, will exercise veto power on this matter as well." She further said, "Basically, I think the veto power should not be exercised, but seeing the president's actions so far, I am worried."

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