Seoul, South Korea –
South Korea’s parliament on Thursday passed special legislation calling for a new independent investigation into the 2022 Halloween massacre in Seoul that killed 159 people.
The unicameral National Assembly approved the bill by 256 votes in favor and 0 against. It will become law after it is signed by conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol and enacted by his government agency, moves that are considered formalities because the president and his ruling party have already agreed to the legislation.
The bill aims to delve into the root cause of the crowding and analyze how the authorities handled the disaster and who should be blamed for it. It provides for the creation of a nine-member investigative committee that would independently examine the disaster for up to 15 months.
Once the committee determines who is responsible and who should face charges, it will report them to government investigative agencies. Under the bill, agencies would then have to conclude investigations of suspects within three months.
The crushing, one of South Korea’s biggest peacetime disasters, sparked an outpouring of grief across the country. The victims, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s, had gathered in Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightlife district for Halloween celebrations.
After the tragedy, there was also anger that the government had again ignored regulatory and safety issues despite lessons learned since the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014, which killed 304 people, mostly teenagers on a school trip. .
In early 2023, a special police investigation concluded that police and municipal officials failed to formulate effective crowd control measures, despite correctly anticipating a large number of people in Itaewon. At the time, investigators said police had also ignored calls to the pedestrian hotline warning about crowds before the surge turned deadly.
More than 20 police and other officials have been tried over the disaster, but few senior officials have been charged or held accountable, prompting grieving families and opposition lawmakers to call for an independent investigation.
Before the vote, Kim Kyo-heung, of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party and chairman of parliament’s security committee, expressed hope that the investigation would determine responsibility for the disaster and the structural problems behind the avalanche, as well as formulate measures to prevent similar disasters.
The victims’ families welcomed the bill as they demonstrated in front of the National Assembly.
“I think today is indeed the most memorable day for our bereaved families,” said Lee Jeong-min, a representative of the families. “It was not possible without the support of opposition legislators and many citizens who have sympathized with us. I would like to say that we really thank them.”
President Yoon had previously opposed a new investigation into the disaster. In January, he vetoed a similar bill for an independent investigation into the Itaewon crush that had been passed by parliament.
However, during a meeting with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday, he said he would not oppose it, should some existing disputes be resolved, such as whether the investigation committee can seek orders. of arrest.
The change in Yoon’s position came as he faces growing public calls to cooperate with Lee’s party, which won a massive victory in the April 10 parliamentary election, extending its control of parliament for another four years.
In a meeting with Yoon’s ruling People Power Party on Wednesday, Lee’s party agreed to remove the controversial clauses from the bill.
The Democratic Party’s top political official, Jin Sung-joon, said the party had accepted the demands of the president and his ruling party in the interests of “grieving families, who said they can’t wait any longer.”