Judul : President Lee orders new probe into Itaewon disaster
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President Lee orders new probe into Itaewon disaster
On July 17, the presidential office announced that President Lee Jae-myung had ordered the formation of a new investigative unit comprising police and prosecutors to look into the Itaewon disaster of Oct. 29, 2022. The decision comes just a month after an independent fact-finding committee, established under the so-called Itaewon Special Act, began its work. That body lacks investigative powers—a limitation bereaved families say undermines its effectiveness.
Speaking the previous day to relatives of victims of several national disasters—including Itaewon, the Sewol ferry sinking, and the Osong underpass flood—Lee said the Itaewon incident remained poorly understood due to “various reasons.” His office confirmed that he had committed to expanding the scope of the inquiry.
The Itaewon Special Act, formally titled the Special Act on Protection of Rights of Sufferers, Truth-Finding, and Prevention of Recurrence of the October 29th Itaewon Disaster, passed last year with bipartisan support. It followed an earlier 55-day parliamentary inquiry, led by the then-opposition Democratic Party, which concluded without resolution.
The law was designed to prioritize truth-finding and prevention over punishment. But during negotiations, the then-ruling People Power Party (PPP) removed provisions that would have allowed the special committee to request search warrants or reopen cases dropped by prosecutors. Many of the officials believed to bear responsibility are currently on trial, having been indicted through conventional legal channels.
Even so, victims’ families argue that accountability remains incomplete. In their meeting with Lee, they called for stronger investigative powers, the appointment of a special counsel, and the release of presidential records from the time of the disaster. Lee reportedly expressed sympathy, questioning whether the special law had unintentionally constrained the investigation it was meant to enable.
The presidential office is now considering whether to embed law enforcement personnel in the existing committee or establish a parallel unit. The current committee formally began operations in June, nearly a year after it was first constituted. Earlier this month, it obtained prosecutorial case files related to non-indictment decisions. Among those implicated is former Yongsan police chief Lee Im-jae, sentenced to three years in prison. Yongsan mayor Park Hee-young and former Seoul police chief Kim Kwang-ho were acquitted.
The new push has drawn political fire. Some conservatives see echoes of the repeated probes into the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking under President Moon Jae-in. That disaster was investigated nine times, including by two special prosecutors. Hundreds of billions of won were spent. All nine aides to then-President Park Geun-hye who were indicted in 2019 were later acquitted by the Supreme Court. A separate special counsel appointed in 2021 found no evidence to support allegations of evidence tampering.
Critics now accuse Lee of using the Itaewon investigation as a tool to target his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol. With the committee already active, they argue, further expansion risks serving political rather than investigative ends.
Lee’s stance on other disasters has been more reserved. When families of the Osong underpass flood requested a parliamentary probe, he cited opposition resistance and said the proposal would be “difficult,” though he agreed to consider it. He did, however, name the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as the lead agency for the case, noting that no such designation had previously been made.
The families have asked for a formal apology and stronger central oversight of local authorities—particularly Cheongju city hall, which they claim failed both during and after the incident. The city’s mayor and the North Chungcheong governor are both members of the PPP.
Lee struck a more cautious note in his meeting with relatives of victims from the 2024 Muan airport plane crash, saying there was no reason for the case to become “politically distorted” and that it would be best to await the results. For Sewol families, he said the government would consider lifelong mental health support.
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