Ruling party meets bereaved families ahead of fourth anniversary of Itaewon disaster... Will legislation to prevent a recurrence pick up speed?

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea met with bereaved families on the 22nd ahead of the fourth anniversary of the 10.29 Itaewon disaster, emphasizing the state’s responsibility to establish the truth and build a safe society. With a bill to overhaul systems for preventing and managing social disasters, including accidents involving large crowds, having been proposed, attention is focused on whether the ruling party will also speed up legislation to prevent a recurrence.
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok met with the Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association at the National Assembly that day and said he intended to attend the memorial service for the fourth anniversary. “As a politician, I still feel deeply sorry, because this concerns the state’s responsibility to protect the lives and safety of the people,” he said.
He went on to note that the term of the Special Investigation Commission on the Itaewon Disaster had been extended until September next year, saying, “We will continue to monitor the commission to ensure it thoroughly investigates the issues and produces findings that the bereaved families can accept.”
Lee Jeong-min, chair of the Bereaved Families Association’s steering committee, said, “Time has continued to pass without pause, but the pain of losing our loved ones and the families’ pursuit of the truth remain ongoing.” She added, “The commission has taken its first step toward establishing the truth, but there is still a long way to go before we can fully uncover the truth, punish those responsible and put measures in place to prevent a recurrence.”
Lee said, “Disasters that are not remembered will inevitably be repeated,” and stressed, “For the pain of the disaster not to remain an individual tragedy, but to become a foundation for building safety and dignity across our society, unceasing solidarity between the political sphere and civil society is essential.”
After the meeting that day, Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Cho Gye-won told reporters that the party would spare no effort to provide institutional improvements and support for the commission’s investigation into the accident. The families also proposed forming a joint investigation team comprising the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the police. This was because the existing joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters had been disbanded following the dissolution of the prosecution.
A Social Disaster Measures Bill introduced as the lead sponsor by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Young-bae on the 8th is pending in the National Assembly. The bill aims to establish a separate management system suited to the characteristics of social disasters, in response to incidents such as the Itaewon disaster. It focuses on relocating and reorganizing provisions on social disasters that are currently intermingled in the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety, and strengthening advance preparedness and cooperation among agencies. Since the bodies responsible for responding vary by disaster type, the plan is to clarify the legal basis for interagency cooperation.
The provision most directly related to the Itaewon disaster concerns measures to prevent disasters involving large crowds. If the head of a central administrative agency or a local government determines that crowd density makes it difficult to maintain order and ensure safety, they may recommend that the owner or occupier of a facility or location, or the event organizer, halt the event, or recommend that those gathered disperse.
The bill also sets out safety management obligations for local festivals and events. Central administrative agencies and local governments must draw up a safety management plan when holding an event, while private organizers must notify the local government with jurisdiction in advance. An administrative fine of up to 20 million won would be imposed for failing to prepare or file a safety management plan, or for violating a request to supplement it or an obligation to carry it out.
The government is also backing the enactment of the law. Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung said at a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Security and Public Administration Committee on the 6th, “We will pursue the enactment of the Social Disaster Measures Act so that we can systematically prepare for social disasters that threaten people’s daily lives.” With the bereaved families calling for measures to prevent a recurrence as well as fact-finding, attention is focused on whether discussions on the relevant bills will advance during the regular National Assembly session following the audit.

[email protected] Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter