Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Fri, December 1, 2023 | 09:27

Politics

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Posted : 2022-11-07 17:26

Updated : 2022-11-08 16:58

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adjusts his glasses during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

DPK denies allegations that it helped organize anti-Yoon protests

By Jung Min-ho

Only a few hours after the news broke last month about a deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Nam Young-hee, vice chief of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), concluded that President Yoon Suk-yeol and his safety minister were to blame and demanded they step down immediately.

The comment, which she made when police and emergency workers were still scrambling to gather the facts, was a grim sign of how the tragic incident, which killed 156 people and injured 197 others, could be used ― and exploited ― politically.

Two days after the end of a national mourning period for the victims and their families, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DPK, called for the resignations of all relevant top officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

"The president, who is responsible for this disaster and all state affairs, should apologize sincerely to the people and the victims," Lee said during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. "Taking responsibility comes with action rather than words … There should be a sweeping reshuffle, including the resignation of the prime minister."

Lee also called for a new investigation into the case under an independent counsel, saying that police and prosecutors under Yoon cannot be trusted.

In a message to the victims, he said, "The fault is on the country. It was never your fault."

A woman attends a candlelit vigil for the victims of the Halloween crowd crush tragedy, in Seoul, Nov. 5. The signs can be translated to "We hope the victims of the Itaewon disaster rest in peace; (Look at) the sight of the crazy drunk president and his wife." AP-Yonhap

Speaking on a TBS radio show, Rep. Lee Sung-man, a senior member of the party's response team to the incident, claimed that the administration's relocation of the presidential office was attributable to a lack of crowd control in Itaewon because the project unnecessarily increased the security burden on the police in the area. He also pointed out that police made a mistake by concentrating too much on drug offenses.

A legal expert, however, said such criticism makes sense only in retrospect.

"As drug offenses have become a serious concern for many in recent years, it seemed reasonable for police to be well-prepared for them. Also, the number of police officers in the area was not unusual, compared with previous years," Kim Jin-sook, a former high-ranking prosecutor, told The Korea Times. "Police deserve criticism for failing to respond to emergency calls that night, but the opposition party's attempt to attack the lack of preparation for a big crowd seems unreasonable, given that the area has always been crowded every weekend for many years."

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, center, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, attends a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), pointed a finger at a pro-DPK civic group that held anti-Yoon protests at Gwanghwamun Square that night, accusing the group of leaving the police no choice but to focus on crowd control there.

But his argument is also weak, given that the protests at Gwanghwamun Square had ended about two hours before the incident happened at around 10:15 p.m.

Citing media reports that the group led anti-Yoon candlelit rallies, Nov. 5, under the cover of a vigil for the Itaewon victims, Chung questioned the DPK's motives behind the reshuffle and new investigation demands. The DPK denied the allegation that it mobilized party officials to help organize the protests, but it admitted that some members participated voluntarily.

"President Yoon has done everything he could to find the cause of the incident and console the bereaved families. After the end of the national mourning period, there have been signs that the DPK is trying to politicize this unfortunate incident," Chung said.

Later that day, Prime Minister Han apologized over the incident. He is the latest top official of the administration to issue an apology, following Yoon, Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun.

"With a heavy responsibility, the government will support each and every bereaved family without neglect, and will quickly push for fundamental system improvements to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy," Han said.

mj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr