Yoon Exercises Reconsideration Request for Itaewon Special Act... Opposition Reacts "Must Take Full Responsibility to the People"

Park Jumin "President abuses power"
Kang Seonghee "Ignoring desperate cries"

President Yoon Suk-yeol has exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto) on the "Special Act for the Protection of the Rights of the Victims of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, Investigation of the Truth, and Prevention of Recurrence (Itaewon Special Act)," sparking continued backlash from opposition parties.

On the 30th, Lim Oh-kyung, the floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, issued a statement saying, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration passed a motion for reconsideration of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act at today's Cabinet meeting," and questioned, "Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said there is no clear evidence of any problems in the investigation results by the police and prosecution. Criticism of the police and prosecution investigations has not ceased over the past year, so has the Yoon Suk-yeol administration been turning a deaf ear?"

On the afternoon of the 30th, when the Cabinet meeting approved the request for reconsideration of the "Special Act on the Investigation of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, Prevention of Recurrence, and Protection of Victims' Rights," Lee Jeong-min, the operating committee chairman of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, is speaking at a press conference held at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster in Seoul Plaza. Photo by Yonhap News

Spokesperson Lim emphasized, "If the government and ruling party, who must bear infinite responsibility to the people, cannot take responsibility for the sacrifice of 159 citizens, then why are they even in those positions?" and added, "The way to heal the wounds of our society and contribute to preventing recurrence is through thorough fact-finding and punishment of those responsible."

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min also criticized on Facebook, saying, "President Yoon Suk-yeol has committed a sin against the people and history today," and accused him of "recklessly exercising the presidential power entrusted by the people." Kang Sung-hee, a lawmaker from the Progressive Party, raised her voice, stating, "We strongly condemn President Yoon Suk-yeol for ultimately ignoring the desperate and urgent cries and exercising his veto power." On Facebook, Kang pointed out, "This is too much. Is he even vetoing the Itaewon Disaster Special Act? The bereaved families, who pleaded for the truth, went on hunger strikes, cut their hair, and performed prostrations on an ice floor just to barely get the special act passed in the National Assembly, yet the president vetoed it again."

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won criticized, saying, "Rejecting the special act while talking about expanding support is an attempt to block the truth and criticism with money." On Facebook, Park stated, "For a thorough and unreserved investigation of the truth, a special investigative committee is essential, and within the framework of the law, it is natural that the committee's authority and scope of investigation are unrestricted," and added, "The government and ruling party are not providing the Democratic Party with an advantage because the latter is doing well, but are themselves the top campaigners giving the opposition 200 seats legitimacy and justification."

Meanwhile, at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the same day, the motion for reconsideration of the Itaewon Special Act was passed, and President Yoon exercised his right to request reconsideration. This is the fifth time since his inauguration that President Yoon has exercised his veto power, and the ninth bill in total. Prime Minister Han said, "This law risks consuming national administrative power and resources without justification or practical benefit, and may only deepen public division and distrust," adding, "The pain caused by the disaster cannot be justified as a means for political strife or constitutional issues."

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