Nowungrae: "We Will Unite Opposition Parties to Pass the Itaewon Disaster Special Act"

Democratic Party Rep. No Woong-rae YTN Radio Interview
"Dismissal of Sang-min Lee's Impeachment Is Not a Free Pass"

Regarding the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the National Assembly's impeachment petition against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Democratic Party lawmaker Roh Woong-rae stated, "This does not absolve responsibility for human error."

On the 26th, Roh appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' and said, "While the responsibility for the tragedy that took 159 innocent lives was acknowledged, it was concluded that there was no serious legal or constitutional violation."

Earlier, on the 25th, the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment petition against Minister Lee Sang-min, who was impeached due to inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster. The court stated, "The respondent (Minister Lee) is the head of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, so he cannot be free from responsibility for social disasters and loss of life," but added, "From the perspective of the Constitution and laws, it is difficult to see that the respondent (Minister Lee) violated the Disaster and Safety Management Act and the National Public Service Act, thereby failing to fulfill the constitutional duty to protect the people."

No Woong-rae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

After the Constitutional Court's dismissal, Roh emphasized that passing the special law on the Itaewon disaster has become even more important. He explained, "To fundamentally prevent such disasters, we need to identify the structural causes of why such a tragedy occurred and prepare disaster prevention measures. In that sense, the content and purpose of the Itaewon disaster special law reflect this."

He added, "Who could possibly block this law on any grounds? I clearly state that our Democratic Party, the Justice Party, and all opposition parties will unite their efforts to ensure its passage and smooth implementation."

However, the People Power Party opposes the enactment of the Itaewon disaster special law, arguing that it is contradictory to push for a special law when there was no legal violation.

In response, Roh said, "I want to ask if the People Power Party is profiting from disasters. At the very least, when it comes to issues related to the lives and safety of the people, I believe the National Assembly should unite and focus solely on the people to get this done."