President Yoon Suk-yeol's Remarks on the Itaewon Disaster: Truth Dispute
After former National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo 's revelation through his memoir that President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned the possibility of the Itaewon tragedy being induced and manipulated by certain forces, the political sphere became as if a hornet's nest had been stirred. While the opposition demands an apology from the president, the ruling party, including candidate Han Dong-hoon running for party leader, countered that it is Kim, the former speaker, who should apologize.
In his recently published memoir titled What Has the Republic of Korea Accumulated?, Kim introduced the conversation he had with President Yoon regarding the Itaewon tragedy. According to Kim's explanation, he conveyed the idea that the political situation should be resolved through voluntary resignation concerning the motion to dismiss Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, which was a point of confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties at the time. President Yoon reportedly said, "That is all correct, but regarding the Itaewon tragedy, there is a strong suspicion now, so I cannot make a decision. It cannot be ruled out that this incident was induced and manipulated by certain forces." Kim added, "It was hard to believe that conspiracy theories from far-right YouTubers were coming so smoothly from the president's mouth."
The political circle reacted vehemently to the remarks attributed to President Yoon by former Speaker Kim in the memoir.
Han Dong-hoon, former emergency committee member of the People Power Party, expressed trust in the presidential office's denial of the remarks. Meeting reporters at the UN Memorial Park in Nam-gu, Busan, Han said, "Right after the controversy, the presidential office firmly stated that such remarks were never made. I trust that statement."
Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min asked, "Between the president, the head of the executive and legislative branches, and the National Assembly speaker, whose words are true?" but added, "If the president really said this, it is shocking and infuriating." However, Yoo said, "It is hard to believe and unpleasant to think our president said such things. This is not an issue the presidential office can just dismiss as 'distortion.' President Yoon must come forward to clarify the facts and specify what is distorted and what the truth is to resolve public suspicion."
Lee Jun-seok, a reform party lawmaker and former leader of the People Power Party, expressed via social media that he believes President Yoon made the remarks as described in Kim's memoir. Lee said, "If there is a president who, upon hearing about the Itaewon tragedy, suspected leftist forces' manipulation and failed to act, that president is unqualified. He is a truly bad president. Some say the president would never say such things, but I firmly believe he would."
Both ruling and opposition parties engaged in a fierce dispute over this issue.
No Jong-myeon, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a briefing, "If conspiracy theories that could come from far-right YouTuber broadcasts came from the president's mouth, this is extremely serious. The president should clarify whether he is seeking solace through conspiracy theories to evade responsibility for a national tragedy." Kim Bo-hyeop, chief spokesperson for the Innovation Party, also said, "Did former Speaker Kim arbitrarily distort any remarks by President Yoon? If so, why doesn't President Yoon directly clarify which remarks were distorted? The president must clarify this himself."
On the other hand, Park Jun-tae, floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized, "This reminds me of the Democratic Party's 'Cheongdam-dong drinking party' allegations. It overlaps with the scene where baseless fake news was brought into the National Assembly committee meetings for political attacks." Park added, "If such an incident occurred, why was it not confronted then? Even after the meeting, it should have been reported to the media."
Meanwhile, regarding the controversy, a politician who reportedly heard the full story from former Speaker Kim right after President Yoon's remarks also came forward. Park Hong-geun, then floor leader of the Democratic Party, revealed that he received the remarks from Kim and took notes. The notes stated that President Yoon said, "There is suspicion regarding why left-leaning media such as MBC, KBS, and JTBC aired broadcasts that encouraged crowds to gather 2-3 days before the incident," and "I suspect this is not an accidental occurrence but a criminal incident by certain forces or individuals."
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