1st Anniversary of Osong Disaster... Ruling Party "Will Make More Efforts for Measures", Opposition "Must Punish Those Responsible"

Last Year Today, Heavy Rain Flooded Cheongju Osong Underpass
30 Dead or Injured...Ruling and Opposition Parties Release 1st Anniversary Message

On the 15th, the first anniversary of the Osong disaster, opposition party lawmakers prayed for the victims and emphasized the "punishment of those responsible." On the morning of July 15 last year, heavy rain caused the temporary embankment of the nearby Miho River to collapse, flooding the Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk in an instant. The disaster claimed 14 lives and injured 16 people.

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung stated on Facebook, "While the ordinary daily lives of the people were swept away by the heavy rain, the state was absent," adding, "The Osong disaster was clearly a man-made disaster (人災)." He continued, "Despite flood warnings, authorities did not control vehicles in the underpass," emphasizing, "The reason for the existence of the state is to protect the lives and safety of its people." He stressed, "Only with a thorough investigation and definite punishment of those responsible can such a tragedy be prevented from recurring."

On March 14th, former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung visited the Osong Underpass Disaster memorial altar set up at Cheongju City Hall and looked around the area. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Assemblywoman Chu Mi-ae wrote on Facebook, "I offer my sincere condolences to the souls who perished in the flood disaster," adding, "The bereaved families and survivors have endured a difficult year, crying out for a thorough investigation in the streets." She also claimed, "Although it was clearly a man-made disaster, from the president to the heads of government, no one, including the prime minister, ministers, or mayors, has taken responsibility." Furthermore, she mentioned, "The Osong disaster, the Itaewon disaster, and the death of soldier Chae Sang-byeong are all large-scale tragedies caused by repeated neglect of duty and should be considered 'disaster murder' due to 'implied intent.'"

Floor leader Park Chan-dae attended the Osong disaster memorial ceremony held at the disaster site at 4 p.m. that day.

The People Power Party's Chungbuk Provincial Party issued a statement the day before, saying, "We pray for the souls of the victims of the Osong disaster and will make greater efforts to prepare countermeasures." They added, "Investigations into the cause of the disaster are still ongoing even after a year, and progress is being made as related individuals are being arrested one by one during the investigation process. The People Power Party is fully committed to preventing recurrence through river maintenance in preparation for heavy rain, restoration of existing facilities, and additional reinforcement of emergency evacuation facilities." Furthermore, they emphasized, "We will continue to prepare measures until the bereaved families and victims say it is enough, and we will make greater efforts to ensure that such a disaster never happens again."

Seongwoo Seo, Chairman of the People Power Party Chungbuk Provincial Committee, is paying respects at the citizen memorial altar on the first anniversary of the Gungpyeong 2 Underpass disaster in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk.
[Photo by People Power Party Chungbuk Provincial Committee]

On the morning of the same day, Seo Seung-woo, chairman of the People Power Party's Chungbuk Provincial Party, visited the Osong disaster citizen memorial altar to pay his respects. He stated, "To pray for the souls of the victims of the Osong disaster, all attendees at the People Power Party's 4th national convention joint speech event for Daejeon, Sejong, Chungbuk, and Chungnam observed a moment of silence."

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