Proposal by Rhee Man-hee Secretary-General... Opposition Party Pushes Special Act
Alternative Suggested Amid Backlash Risk of 'Ignoring Disaster' if Opposed
'Truth Investigation' Excluded... Same Composition of Bereaved Families and Victims
The People Power Party has proposed a bill to provide relief for the victims of the Itaewon disaster. Although the ruling party has opposed the 'Itaewon Special Act' previously proposed by the opposition, it is interpreted that they introduced this alternative bill as the Democratic Party of Korea is expected to push for the passage of their bill on the 20th.
According to the National Assembly on the 13th, Lee Man-hee, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, proposed the "Special Act for Relief and Support of the Victims of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster" on the 11th. The bill centers on establishing a Victim Support Deliberation Committee and a Memorial Committee for the Victims under the Prime Minister's office.
On the 4th, officials from the Itaewon Disaster Countermeasures Committee held a nationwide simultaneous press conference at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul, to enact a special law for investigating the Itaewon disaster. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
The Democratic Party's "Special Act for Guaranteeing the Rights of the Victims of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster, Fact-Finding, and Prevention of Recurrence," designated as a fast-track bill in June, was automatically submitted to the plenary session on the 29th of last month. If it is not brought to the plenary session within 60 days, it will be automatically scheduled for the plenary session after January 28 of next year. The Democratic Party has declared that they will pass the Itaewon Special Act, whose submission period has expired, at the plenary session on the 28th. If the opposition pushes it through with their seats, the ruling party can recommend the president exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto), but there is concern that this could be criticized as ignoring the disaster. Therefore, it is interpreted that they have presented this alternative bill.
The bill proposed by the People Power Party differs from the opposition's bill, which focuses on establishing a fact-finding investigation body. The People Power Party has opposed the formation of a special investigation committee for fact-finding, arguing that it could be biased toward the opposition. The Itaewon Special Act proposed by the Democratic Party stipulates that among the 11 special investigation committee members, 4 are from the ruling party, 4 from the opposition, 1 is the Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 are recommended by the bereaved families, raising concerns that the Speaker and the family representatives might be opposition-friendly.
They also argue that the investigation of the disaster should be conducted through criminal investigations rather than a special law. At a party strategy meeting the day before, Secretary-General Lee said, "Regarding the Itaewon disaster, the causes of the accident have already been identified through large-scale investigations by the police and prosecution and through the National Assembly's unrestricted audit." Accordingly, Lee's bill does not include provisions related to fact-finding but focuses on 'victim support.'
However, the scope of bereaved families and victims, which has been a point of contention between the ruling and opposition parties, is included in the same way as in the existing bill. According to the bill, bereaved families refer to the spouse, direct ascendants and descendants, and siblings of the deceased. Victims include ▲ those who participated in emergency rescue and recovery during the 10·29 Itaewon disaster ▲ those who operated businesses or were engaged in work activities near the area during the 10·29 Itaewon disaster ▲ and others who suffered physical, mental, or economic damage due to the 10·29 Itaewon disaster and are recognized as victims by the Deliberation Committee as needing recovery. The composition of the Deliberation Committee is 'up to 20 members' in the ruling party's proposal, which is more than the opposition's proposed 9 members.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
