DP passes bill to investigate Itaewon disaster despite PPP boycott

The National Assembly, controlled by the Democratic Party, passed on Tuesday a bill aiming to form a special committee to investigate the truth behind the deadly Itaewon disaster in 2022, despite a boycott by the People Power Party.

Lawmakers of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) exit the chamber ahead of the majority Democratic Party’s vote on the Itaewon Disaster Special Act in a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

The National Assembly, controlled by the liberal Democratic Party (DP), passed on Tuesday a bill aiming to form a special committee to investigate the truth behind the deadly Itaewon disaster in 2022, despite a boycott by the conservative People Power Party (PPP).

The liberal DP railroaded the Itaewon Disaster Special Act, which passed with 177 votes after PPP lawmakers exited the chamber en masse.

Talks between the DP and the PPP collapsed earlier Tuesday after the two sides failed to find a compromise over the bill, meant to reopen investigations to pinpoint the roots of the Itaewon tragedy and guarantee victims' rights.

The DP and PPP have been negotiating over the bill in earnest since last week, with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo mediating the discussions, but the two sides ultimately failed to reach a consensus Tuesday morning ahead of the pending vote. In turn, the DP announced plans to pass the bill unilaterally in a plenary session of the National Assembly.

The crowd crush of Oct. 29, 2022, which claimed the lives of 159 people, sparked public outrage over the botched response at many levels and raised questions over who was responsible for the tragedy.

The DP proposed a bill in April 2023 for a special investigation committee to find out the true causes of the disaster, who should be held liable and ways to prevent future recurrences, and allow the bereaved families to partake in the process.

However, the rival parties have clashed over the bill's details, with the PPP arguing that provisions such as allowing search and seizure warrant requests if a person under investigation refuses to submit information are excessive.

The PPP claims that a state-led investigation had already uncovered the root causes of the tragedy and has opposed the bill.

The PPP, in turn, could be concerned because enforcing the Itaewon Disaster Special Act could work to put pressure on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, especially because if an investigation takes place, it would likely center on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

In February last year, the National Assembly impeached Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to hold him accountable for the government's clumsy response to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush. The Constitutional Court in July rejected the parliamentary impeachment of Lee, which led to his immediate reinstatement as interior minister.

Bereaved families of the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush of Oct. 29, 2022, shed tears as a special act on investigating the tragedy passes in the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

In the days leading up to Tuesday's vote, the PPP and DP indicated some progress in the negotiations, having agreed to a special investigation committee to probe the Itaewon disaster, but differences reportedly remained on its composition and who would hold authority.

The speaker has pushed to postpone the bill's implementation until after the April 10 general elections to prevent any questions of political interference.

Under the bill, the investigation committee will be comprised of 11 members, including three people recommended by the National Assembly speaker, in consultation with related organizations, such as those presenting the victims' families. The special committee could recruit a total staff of up to 60 people and request the government and local governments to dispatch civil servants.

The committee's mandate will be less than one year, but if necessary, it can be extended for three months up to two times, allowing the probe to last up to one year and six months. It is not mandated to request a special counsel, a key point of contention between the two sides.

DP floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo expressed "strong regret" over the "constant obstruction and attempts by the presidential office and the Interior Ministry to make negotiations difficult and neutralize the investigation itself."

"There is no possibility of negotiations today," Yun Jae-ok, the PPP floor leader, told reporters Tuesday after the talks fell apart. "However, as in the past, negotiations have been taking place even after a bill was passed unilaterally."

Likewise, he said it was too early to tell if the PPP would request President Yoon Suk Yeol to exercise his veto power again.

Yun claimed during the PPP's rally outside the chamber protesting the bill that the special act "lacked fairness and neutrality" as it boycotted the vote, saying that the DP's unilateral vote was "not about the safety of Korea but a choice of political strife and conflict."

"It is significant in that we have taken the first step in uncovering the truth," a civic group comprised of Itaewon disaster victims' families said in a statement after the bill passed Tuesday. However, they expressed "regret" that the PPP boycotted the vote and urge the president to promulgate the law.

The presidential office later said in a statement that it “regrets” that the special act on the Itaewon disaster was “once again unilaterally enforced without agreement between the rival parties.”

It added that it will state its official position on the matter through collecting the opinions of the PPP and related ministries once it forwarded to the government.

Yun Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party (PPP), condemns the Democratic Party’s Itaewon Disaster Special Act as contributing to political strife as PPP lawmakers hold a protest after boycotting the vote at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Tuesday. The two parties failed to reach compromise in negotiations over the bill earlier that day. [YONHAP]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]