President Yoon vetoes bill to form special committee to probe 2022 Itaewon disaster

President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed on Tuesday a bill to form a special committee to further investigate the deadly Itaewon disaster of 2022, passed earlier this month by the liberal Democratic Party (DP)-controlled National Assembly.

Families of the victims of the Itaewon disaster of Oct. 29, 2022, protest the Cabinet’s motion to send back to the National Assembly a special bill calling to reopen an investigation into the tragedy in front of the Seoul government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. President Yoon Suk Yeol later Tuesday vetoed the bill, which was railroaded by the Democratic Party in the National Assembly earlier this month. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed on Tuesday a bill to form a special committee to further investigate the deadly Itaewon disaster of 2022, passed earlier this month by the liberal Democratic Party (DP)-controlled National Assembly.

This marks the fifth time Yoon has exercised his presidential veto power, rejecting nine bills to date.

The presidential office announced Yoon's decision hours after the Cabinet — chaired by the prime minister — passed a motion calling on the National Assembly to reconsider the special bill mandating a new investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush by forming a new investigative committee.

On Jan. 9, the National Assembly, despite a boycott by the conservative People Power Party (PPP), passed a bill aiming to form a special committee to investigate the deadly Itaewon disaster.

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

The PPP opposed the bill, arguing that a state-led investigation had already uncovered the root causes of the tragedy.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who presided over Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, indicated that implementing the special act could be unconstitutional and, in turn, pledged additional governmental support to the victims and bereaved families.

"If a special investigative committee must be operated, it must comply with the constitutional order, but the problem with the special committee stipulated in this bill is that its authority and composition do not guarantee this," Han said. "The strong authority granted to the special investigation committee not only undermines the constitutional doctrine of warrant requirements, but there is a high possibility that the people's fundamental rights will be excessively violated in the process."

He added that there are also "significant concerns that fairness and neutrality will be damaged" in appointing an 11-member special committee.

"There are concerns that this bill will waste national administrative power and financial resources without proper justification or practical benefits and will only deepen public division and distrust," Han said.

"The Itaewon disaster left a great scar on the bereaved families, victims and our society as a whole, but that does not mean that the pain caused by the disaster can be used as a means to justify political strife or unconstitutional actions."

Han, in turn, said that the government will form an Oct. 29 disaster support committee and quickly prepare a substantial support plan for bereaved families and victims.

He said the government will listen to the requests of the victims and their families and plans to expand financial and psychological support so that they can quickly return to their daily lives. It will also seek a memorial space where the victims of the tragedy can be honored and fully commemorated.

The bill returns to the National Assembly 11 days after it was forward to the government for consideration and ahead of its deadline set for Saturday.

Yoon exercised his second presidential veto of this year. Earlier this month, he rejected a special probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged involvement in the manipulating the stock prices of BMW car dealer Deutsch Motors and another one into the Daejang-dong land development scandal in Gyeonggi, from DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung's time as Seongnam's mayor.

"Exercising the right to veto without justification will reduce the Republic of Korea to a country where no one takes responsibility for disasters, no one apologizes, and no efforts are made to uncover the truth," Hong Ik-pyo, DP floor leader, said in a party meeting at the National Assembly Tuesday.

In turn, the PPP floor leader Yun Jae-ok said in a party meeting that there is still room for "renegotiating" the Itaewon disaster special act with the DP if "toxic clauses" are removed and "fairness is guaranteed."

The PPP has criticized that the DP and minor progressive parties will have the authority to name seven out of the 11 members of the special committee under this bill.

An association representing the families of the victims of the Itaewon disaster later Tuesday held a press conference in front of a makeshift memorial altar at Seoul Plaza, slamming the government for vetoing the bill.

"President Yoon Suk Yeol, government officials, and PPP members sinned with their irresponsible and foolish decisions that will remain in history," Lee Jeong-min, the head of the association who lost his daughter in the tragedy, said. "When did the bereaved families ask for financial support or compensation? All we wanted was to find out the truth, but the government ignored our demands most insultingly."

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