Kim Dong-yeon on the Veto Decision of the Itaewon Disaster Special Act: "The Country Should Not Be Like This"

Criticism on SNS for "Refusing Even the Last Remaining National Responsibility"

A post by Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, on his social media on the 30th

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon warned on the 30th that "the country should not be like this" in response to the government's decision at the Cabinet meeting to exercise the veto power on the 'Itaewon Disaster Special Act.'

Governor Kim Dong-yeon criticized through his social media (SNS) on the same day, saying, "This should not happen. The country should not be like this," and added, "There was no state during the (Itaewon) disaster."

He continued, "President Yoon Seok-yeol today rejected even the last remaining responsibility of the state," lamenting, "From beginning to end, there was no country for the people."

In particular, he directly criticized the Cabinet's decision by saying, "Politics is about wiping away the tears of the people, and that is the reason for the existence of the country."

Earlier, the government held a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Complex Seoul, where it resolved to exercise President Yoon Seok-yeol's veto power on the 'Itaewon Disaster Special Act.' If President Yoon approves this, the government will, under the constitutional authority of the president, send the Itaewon Disaster Special Act back to the National Assembly to request a re-deliberation.

The Itaewon Disaster Special Act draft mainly aims to establish a special investigation committee to punish those responsible for the crush accident that occurred on October 29, 2022, in the Itaewon area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ahead of Halloween.

The bill was passed in the National Assembly plenary session on the 9th, led by the Democratic Party of Korea. The People Power Party recommended President Yoon exercise his veto power.

If President Yoon vetoes the Itaewon Disaster Special Act, the National Assembly can put it to a vote again in the plenary session. The timing of the vote is determined by the Speaker of the National Assembly. If the bill is passed with a majority of the total members present and at least two-thirds of the members present voting in favor, the president cannot veto the bill again and must promulgate it as law. If rejected, the bill is discarded. If the Speaker does not bring the bill to a vote again by the end of the 21st National Assembly's term in late May, the bill will be automatically discarded.

So far, President Yoon has exercised his veto power on eight bills, including the ▲ Grain Management Act amendment ▲ Nursing Act ▲ Labor Union Act amendment (Yellow Envelope Act) ▲ Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act, Broadcasting Act, and Broadcasting Culture Promotion Act amendments (Broadcasting 3 Acts) ▲ Double Special Prosecutor Act, among others.