‘One Day Before the Itaewon Hearing’ Bereaved Families Ask, “What Did the State Do... Yoon Must Appear”

[Financial News] With the National Commission for the Investigation of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster set to hold a hearing, bereaved families and civic groups criticized former President Yoon Suk Yeol for notifying the commission that he will not attend. They urged that the structural causes of the disaster and those responsible be clearly identified.
The 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Family Members' Association and the Citizens' Countermeasures Committee held a press conference at Stars' House in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 11th, one day before the hearing, and delivered this message.
The bereaved families strongly insisted that former President Yoon must appear at the hearing. At the request of the National Commission for the Investigation of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, the court adjusted its trial schedule, making it possible for former President Yoon to attend on the second day of the hearing, the 13th. However, he has said that it would be difficult for him to appear, citing the need to prepare for his trial.
Earlier, the commission asked the 36th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, which is hearing the case involving allegations related to a "Pyongyang drone" incident, to reschedule the trial date. The court granted permission for former President Yoon to be absent from the hearing scheduled for the 13th. The 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling his alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act, also moved the trial originally set for the 13th to the 23rd.
The day before, the commission visited the Seoul Detention Center to persuade former President Yoon to attend the hearing, but the meeting fell through when he refused to meet them. The commission instead met with the head of the detention center and asked that former President Yoon be allowed to attend at least the morning session on the 13th.
The bereaved families also indicated that separate measures should be considered if former President Yoon does not appear. Under the Special Act on the October 29 Itaewon Disaster, a person who, without just cause, fails to appear at a hearing or refuses to take an oath or testify may face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
Park Young-soo, mother of the late victim Lee Nam-hoon, stated, "This hearing is the minimum process to reveal why the state failed to protect the lives of its people and to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated." She continued, "I hope former President Yoon will definitely appear at the hearing and provide responsible answers."
She added, "For any witness who refuses to appear without a legitimate reason, immediate measures must be taken in accordance with the law and principles." Some argued that the truth must be uncovered through this hearing regardless of whether former President Yoon attends. Yoon Bok-nam, co-chair of the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Citizens' Countermeasures Committee and president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (MINBYUN), said, "The evidence accumulated through joint audits and court proceedings suggests that this disaster was the result of a combination of factors, including a security-first policy following the relocation of the Office of the President of South Korea and gaps in safety management by the police and the Yongsan-gu Office." He went on, "In the previous parliamentary investigation, we saw repeated attempts to shift responsibility, pass off records, and evade testimony. This time must be different." He added, "The commission must respond firmly, under the authority granted by law, to false statements, refusals to submit materials, and evasive testimony." Song Hae-jin, mother of the late victim Lee Jae-hyun and head of operations for the bereaved families' association, said, "This hearing must be an occasion to officially disclose what the state did in the face of disaster over the past three years and five months, what it failed to do, and what it tried to conceal." She continued, "Only when that record exists can we hold people accountable and prevent such a disaster from happening again." She added, "For the deaths of 159 people not to be in vain, this hearing must fully perform its role, and we, the bereaved families, will be there to hear the answers." The bereaved families presented six key issues they want the hearing to clarify. These include: why 11 emergency calls made just before the disaster were ignored; what priorities the police followed at the time; why the disaster command system failed to function properly; and what caused the failures in rescue operations. The commission's hearing will be held over two days, from the 12th to the 13th, at the Bankers Hall International Conference Room in Jung District, Seoul. On the first day, questions will focus on problems with disaster preparedness and the initial response. On the second day, the commission plans to examine the causes of failures in the response during the aftermath of the disaster. The hearing will be conducted over a total of nine sessions. The National Commission for the Investigation of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster has named 77 people, including former President Yoon and Lee Sang-min, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, as witnesses and reference persons.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter