Tears flow as National Assembly passes bill to investigate Itaewon disaster

Relatives of victims who perished in the Itaewon crowd crush of Oct. 29, 2022, begin to cry in the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, after the legislature passed a bill mandating a new investigation into the disaster on Thursday afternoon. [NEWS1]

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a bill mandating a new investigation into the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people two years ago.

The bill, which was passed with support from 256 lawmakers out of 259 present at a plenary session of the legislature, establishes a bipartisan committee to uncover the causes of the crowd crush that unfolded in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife area during Halloween celebrations on Oct. 29, 2022.

Victims’ family members who were present in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon burst into tears after Speaker Kim Jin-pyo struck the gavel to confirm the bill’s passage.

Most were dressed in purple, a color they had chosen to symbolize both their grief and collective pursuit of official redress.

Representatives of the victims’ families, who had long urged the National Assembly to establish a committee to investigate the Itaewon disaster, welcomed the previous day’s agreement between the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and liberal Democratic Party (DP) to pass an amended version of the bill, which was first proposed by the DP in April last year.

In a statement released on Wednesday, representatives of the families said they are “relieved that the first step is being taken to uncover the truth behind a manmade disaster that claimed 159 victims,” adding that they hope “all government institutions and agencies will faithfully cooperate with requests for information” from the investigative committee.

The original DP bill was opposed by the government-aligned People Power Party (PPP) for empowering the committee to request arrest and search warrants against people who refused to cooperate with the investigation.

The PPP also argued that an earlier state-led investigation had already uncovered the root causes of the disaster and that the DP was pushing for another probe to pressure the government, particularly the Interior Ministry.

The DP railroaded an earlier version of the bill through the National Assembly in January over the PPP’s objections, but it was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Following the bipartisan compromise hammered out on Wednesday, the bill passed on Thursday does not allow the investigative committee to request warrants against people of interest.

The nine-person committee will consist of a chairperson selected after negotiations between the two parties and four members nominated by each party.

The committee’s mandate will last one year but can be extended by up to three months under the terms of the bill.

The amended legislation was passed three days after DP leader Lee Jae-myung held his first official meeting with President Yoon and urged him not to exercise his veto against the bill.

The presidential office on Wednesday afternoon welcomed the bipartisan agreement to revise the bill as the “first concrete result” of Yoon’s talks with Lee.

Speaking at a press briefing in Yongsan District, central Seoul, presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung said the bill “marks the beginning of restored cooperation” between the PPP and DP and that Yoon looks forward to the main parties “continuing trust-based communication on a number of state affairs.”

But the presidential office on Thursday also criticized the DP for “unilaterally” passing a bill the same day establishing a special counsel probe into the death of a young Marine who drowned during flood rescue operations last year.

The DP has accused the Yoon administration and Defense Ministry of interfering in the official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Marine’s drowning, but presidential spokesperson Chung Jin-suk called the special counsel probe an attempt by the liberal party to “exploit a tragic death for political purposes.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]