Assembly passes special act to investigate Itaewon tragedy

Lawmakers approve a special act on investigating the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush tragedy during a plenary session of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote. Yonhap

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a special act on investigating the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people in central Seoul's Itaewon, upon the majority-holding main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) initiative.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) insisted that the act be focused on preventing similar tragedies and cast concerns over an article on setting up an investigation committee out of fear that it may side with the opposition, thereby becoming a tool for political offensives before the general elections in April. Since the committee will delve into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s response to the crowd crush tragedy, there is a high chance that Yoon may use his veto power, as he has done multiple times during his presidency.

During a plenary session at the Assembly, lawmakers passed the Act on Uncovering the Truth, Preventing Recurrence, and Protecting the Rights of Victims in the Itaewon Tragedy, with unanimous approval from all 177 registered lawmakers in attendance at the 298-seat Assembly.

PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote and held a protest to decry the opposition party's unilateral approval of the act.

The act will next be submitted to the government for review at a Cabinet meeting. If Yoon does not veto it, the committee will operate for a year from April 10 to investigate the cause and determine who is responsible for the failures that enabled the disaster to occur.

People who lost loved ones in the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush tragedy react as lawmakers vote on a special act for setting up an investigation committee on the disaster during a plenary session of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The act comes 438 days after the deadly crowd accident in a narrow alley of Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022. Police and local governments were criticized for their ill preparation for crowd control and bungled emergency response, despite signs in advance of a massive turnout ahead of the popularly celebrated holiday weekend.

Despite the year-long calls from families of the victims for legislative measures to investigate the case and prevent a recurrence, the rival parties had been clashing over the act until hours before the plenary session.

The two parties had failed to reach an agreement in negotiations, despite their respective compromises — the PPP had accepted the idea of the committee and the DPK had made moves to improve its neutrality and had agreed to postponing the law's enactment until after the general elections.

The act initially stipulated that the president appoint 11 committee members, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo recommend one, the rival parties each recommend four and victim family groups recommend two.

Since the Assembly speaker is a former DPK member and victim family groups have been critical of the government’s response to the tragedy, the PPP believes the committee will be comprised of at least seven figures favorable to the opposition.

Due to this, the DPK revised it to allow the speaker to recommend three members in consultation with victim family groups, but the PPP remained unsatisfied on this point.

Also, the ruling party believes the committee will have too much investigative authority, because the act allows the committee to seek warrants for search and seizure in case a subject refuses to submit requested evidence.

However, the DPK argues that the committee is necessary for a fair and independent investigation into the tragedy, because it believes that police investigations of those who are in charge of safety ended in the scapegoating of some working-level officials.

Last year, the DPK held Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min accountable for the tragedy and attempted to impeach him, but the Constitutional Court rejected it. Police conducted an internal audit to find officers who were in charge of the Itaewon area, but the audit did not extend to National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun.

Ruling People Power Party floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok, left, talks with his counterpart Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea during a New Year greeting event in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo blamed the presidential office for the conflicts over the investigation committee.

“PPP floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok has made efforts, but the presidential office and related government agencies are opposing the investigation committee, by suggesting revisions to the act in a bid to stiffle the committee,” Hong said.

Meanwhile, the Assembly did not hold a second vote on a bill to launch a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee, which was returned to the Assembly following Yoon’s veto on Jan. 5.

The rival parties have been butting heads over the timing of the second vote, as the PPP wanted to hold it as soon as possible in a bid to wrap up controversies surrounding the first lady and stem any possible unfavorable fallout to the party in the general elections, while the DPK sought to delay the second vote to exploit negative public sentiment on the first lady to its advantage in the elections.

The bill regarding the first lady passed the National Assembly on Dec. 29, following the DPK’s push to investigate her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal involving a licensed BMW dealership in Korea by appointing an independent counsel recommended by the opposition side.

The ensuing investigation was anticipated to be at the center of one of the biggest political controversies before the general elections, as the investigation was expected to reach its peak in March, the month before the elections.

Following Yoon’s veto, the success of the bill hinges on the attendance of more than half of all registered lawmakers and approval by two-thirds of attending legislators for the act to be passed again. This is more difficult than the initial condition of half-attendance and half-approval.