The Democratic Party Proposes Veto on Itaewon Special Act... Opposition Urges "Accept It, Stop Political Strife"

<與> Holds Party Meeting and Decides to Recommend President Yoon's Veto
Opposition and Third-Party Also Oppose... "Shield Veto"
Presidential Office Collects Ministry Opinions After Bill Transfer

The People Power Party's proposal to recommend President Yoon Suk-yeol exercise his veto power on the Itaewon Special Act, which was passed in the National Assembly plenary session led by the opposition, has sparked fierce backlash from the opposition. Criticism labeling it a 'bulletproof veto' also emerged from the third-party camp, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, which spearheaded the bill's passage.

Im Oh-kyung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the afternoon of the 18th, stating, "Does the People Power Party value the nomination rights for the general election more than the lives of 159 citizens?" She added, "The puppet ruling party acting under the orders of the Presidential Office is pitiful, and there is no longer any expectation from the Han Dong-hoon emergency committee system."

The 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Citizens' Countermeasure Committee held an emergency action rally on the 18th in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, urging the promulgation of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Spokesperson Im said, "The People Power Party, which calls uncovering the truth of the Itaewon tragedy and holding those responsible 'electioneering political strife,' should be ashamed," and added, "(The ruling party) complains about unfairness such as the formation of the special investigation committee, but the bill already reflects the ruling party's opinions sufficiently, including the removal of special prosecutors and the activities and composition of the special investigation committee."

Earlier that day, the People Power Party held a party meeting and agreed to recommend the exercise of the veto power. Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader, told reporters immediately after the meeting, "(The opposition) thoroughly ignored the convention of bipartisan agreement in passing special laws establishing bodies requiring special investigations," and said, "We have decided to recommend the president exercise his veto power on the Itaewon Special Act by gathering the consensus of the members."

The ruling party's main concern with the Itaewon Special Act lies in the provisions regarding the composition of the special investigation committee. They argue that the fairness of the committee's composition cannot be guaranteed, and particularly, the clause allowing the committee to access records of non-prosecution or suspended investigations has no precedent in disaster-related special investigation committees such as the Sewol ferry disaster. Floor leader Yoon pointed out that this raises concerns of "rehashed, repeated, and orchestrated investigations."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the "10 Million Elderly Era, Senior Policy Meeting" held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Not only the Democratic Party but also the Justice Party, which helped pass the bill, voiced opposition. Kang Eun-mi, the Justice Party floor spokesperson, criticized the ruling party's plan to recommend veto power immediately after it was announced, saying, "Do they have to keep stabbing the bereaved families' hearts until the very end to feel satisfied?" and called the act of obstructing the law, which was painstakingly enacted, "shameless." Kim Hee-seo, the chief spokesperson, also held a press conference that day, stating, "It is the Yoon Suk-yeol government and the People Power Party that politicize a major disaster," and criticized, "The ruling party, which ignored the bereaved families and abstained from the parliamentary vote, continues to neglect human decency."

Voices from the third-party camp also called for immediate acceptance of the Itaewon Special Act. Seol Ju-wan, spokesperson for the Future Great Union, said, "If President Yoon accepts the ruling party's recommendation, both vetoes exercised this year will be recorded as 'bulletproof vetoes,'" and criticized, "There is no way to contain the outrage over the constitutional right being privatized as a bulletproof shield." He continued, "After exercising the veto on the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor law for 'family protection,' is this now a 'close aide protection' veto to defend Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min?" and urged, "Accept the special law for truth-finding and victim recovery and support."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering the policy speech related to the 2024 budget bill at the National Assembly plenary session on the morning of the 31st. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The People Power Party proposed renegotiation with the Democratic Party after removing the problematic provisions, such as those concerning the composition of the special investigation committee. However, since President Yoon has already exercised his veto on the so-called 'double special prosecutor law,' it is uncertain whether the Democratic Party will accept this proposal. The bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy also held an emergency press conference in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the same day, protesting the 'recommendation for veto exercise' and held a head-shaving ceremony.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Office announced on the 19th that once the bill is transmitted to the government, it will gather opinions from relevant ministries before making a decision. No official stance has yet been released from related ministries such as the Ministry of Justice. It is reported that the Presidential Office perceives the Itaewon Special Act as having been unilaterally passed by the opposition without bipartisan agreement, involving a massive budget, and fears it will provoke political strife ahead of the general election rather than uncovering the truth.