People Power Party: “Those responsible for leaving the deadly embankment in place must be severely punished”

[Financial News] In the wake of a simulation report on the Dec. 29 air disaster concluding that “if the concrete embankment had not existed, everyone would have survived,” the People Power Party on the 12th ramped up its offensive against the government and ruling bloc. The party argued that it was Democratic Party administrations, including those of Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in, that left the concrete embankment at Muan International Airport in place, and insisted that those responsible must be severely punished.
At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk declared, “The main culprit that claimed the precious lives of 179 people at Muan International Airport a year ago was the improperly installed concrete embankment.” According to a report compiled last August by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), an analysis found that if there had been no concrete embankment at Muan International Airport, or if it had been a ‘frangible’ embankment, no fatalities would have occurred.
Regarding this, Jang said, “The report came out last August, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport concealed it. Not a single document was made public, not a single person has been punished, and for more than a year there has not even been a proper investigation,” arguing, “The reason is obvious: because the Democratic Party bears responsibility.”
Jang continued, “From the time the airport opened in 2007, there were already indications that the embankment did not meet standards, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Roh Moo-hyun administration ignored them,” adding, “During the 2020 improvement project, the design contract documents even included language instructing that the embankment be made frangible, but the ministry under the Moon Jae-in administration instead further reinforced the deck. At that time, the minister of land, infrastructure and transport was Kim Hyun-mee, a former Democratic Party lawmaker.”
He went on, “This is why the Democratic Party, which drags in every kind of conspiracy theory and demands the truth be uncovered whenever anything happens, is now keeping silent,” stressing, “Even at this late stage, the full truth of the disaster must be thoroughly brought to light, and those responsible must be identified and severely punished regardless of their position, past or present. Those who concealed the truth must also be held strictly accountable.”
Jang added, “If President Lee Jae-myung knew the results of the MOLIT investigation and still concealed or condoned them, he too must be held responsible,” and asserted, “If a parliamentary investigation is not enough, then a special prosecutor must be appointed.”
Floor leader Song Eon-seok also said, “We demand an immediate parliamentary investigation to punish those responsible for leaving in place the ‘deadly concrete embankment’ that has been identified as the direct cause of the disaster,” and continued, “Through a parliamentary investigation, we must clearly reveal why a concrete embankment that was not included in the 1999 design report was built, why an ‘unsuitable’ rating found during an on-site inspection in 2007 was ignored, and why the problem was not corrected during the 2020 improvement work.”
He added, “The Democratic Party must actively cooperate in summoning as witnesses those responsible for the 2020 improvement work and others who left the deadly embankment in place,” and urged, “In addition, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act must be revised to enable strong punishment of those responsible.”
haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter