Prime Minister Han: "Hope This Becomes an Opportunity to Build a Safer Country"
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is presiding over the Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the morning of the 14th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The government approved the "Special Act on Guaranteeing the Rights of Victims, Fact-Finding, and Prevention of Recurrence of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster (Itaewon Disaster Special Act)" at the Cabinet meeting on the 14th. It has been 563 days since the Itaewon disaster occurred.
On that day, the government, chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Complex Sejong, approved nine bills including the Itaewon Disaster Special Act at the Cabinet meeting. The bills will be promulgated and enforced after receiving the president's approval and being published in the official gazette.
Prime Minister Han said, "I hope that the Itaewon Disaster Special Act, which will be promulgated through today's Cabinet meeting, will serve as an opportunity for our society to overcome the communal pain we have experienced and move toward a 'safer country'."
He added, "The government will also provide maximum support to ensure that follow-up measures such as the formation of the Special Investigation Committee and victim support are carried out without any setbacks."
The Itaewon Disaster Special Act includes provisions to form a Special Investigation Committee to re-investigate the Halloween crowd crush accident that occurred in Itaewon, Seoul, on October 29, 2022. The core purpose is to uncover the truth of the incident and guarantee the rights of the victims.
Although the bill was passed in the National Assembly on January 9, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his veto power and sent it back to the Assembly. After a meeting between President Yoon and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, the ruling and opposition parties agreed on a revised bill with some clauses deleted, and it passed the plenary session of the National Assembly again on the 2nd of this month.
According to the special act, the Special Investigation Committee's activity period is set within one year, but it can be extended once within three months. After the Special Investigation Committee completes its investigation activities, if necessary to prepare and publish a comprehensive report and white paper, the period can be further extended within three months.
The Special Investigation Committee consists of a total of nine members: one chairperson and four members each recommended by the ruling and opposition parties. The chairperson, who is recommended by the Speaker of the National Assembly, is to be decided through 'consultation' between the ruling and opposition parties rather than the previous 'agreement.'
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