Families of Itaewon disaster victims demand enactment of special act

The families of the victims of the 2022 Itaewon tragedy held a silent memorial march in central Seoul on Wednesday, calling for the swift enactment of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act.

The families of the victims of the 2022 Itaewon disaster, holding portraits of their loved ones, silently march down Sejong-daero in central Seoul on Wednesday, calling for the swift enactment of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act and the establishment of an independent investigation body to probe the incident. They later headed toward the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [NEWS1]

Family members of the victims of the 2022 Itaewon tragedy held a silent memorial march in central Seoul on Wednesday, calling for the swift enactment of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act.

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.

Last week, 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. The vote was boycotted by the conservative People Power Party (PPP).

The DP first proposed the bill in April 2023 for a special investigation committee to find out the true causes of the disaster, the responsible parties and ways to prevent a recurrence. The bill would also allow bereaved families to participate in the process.

Family members of victims of the 2022 Itaewon disaster take down portraits of their loved ones ahead of a memorial march Wednesday. [NEWS1]

The family members held a press conference at a memorial hall for the victims at Seoul Plaza, calling on the Yoon Suk Yeol government and PPP to enact the special law to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

They stressed that the law shouldn't be subject to "political strife."

The group later marched toward the Yongsan presidential office, carrying portraits of the victims.

People have a moment of silent prayer for the victims of the 2022 Itaewon disaster in Seoul Plaza in central Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

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