(3rd LD) Yoon vetoes bill mandating new probe into Itaewon crowd crush

▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a government-public debate on people's livelihood issues at a startup support hub in Pangyo Second Techno Valley in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, on Jan. 30, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ The Cabinet holds a meeting at the government complex in Seoul on Jan. 30, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ Family members of the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022 call for President Yoon Suk Yeol to promulgate a special law to reinvestigate the accident in front of the presidential office in Seoul on Jan. 30, 2024, in anticipation of a potential presidential veto against it. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) Cabinet-Itaewon bill

(3rd LD) Yoon vetoes bill mandating new probe into Itaewon crowd crush

(ATTN: UPDATES with President Yoon's veto; CHANGES headline; ADDS photo)

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vetoed a special bill mandating a new investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, his office said.

Yoon exercised his veto power by endorsing a motion demanding the National Assembly reconsider the legislation that the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) railroaded through the National Assembly earlier this month.

The motion was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.

The legislation, which will now be sent back to the Assembly, calls for establishing a special investigation committee to reexamine the causes of the deadly crowd crush that claimed 159 lives in a narrow alley in central Seoul's Itaewon during Halloween weekend in 2022 and to ensure the rights of the victims.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the legislation gives the special investigation committee too much power in a way that could potentially undermine constitutional principles and that fairness and neutrality cannot be guaranteed in the committee's formation.

According to the law, the 11-member committee will consist of four members recommended each by both the ruling and opposition parties, along with three recommended by the parliamentary speaker in collaboration with the victims' families.

"There is considerable concern that fairness and neutrality may be compromised in the process," Han said while presiding over the Cabinet meeting.

In response to calls for assistance for the victims and their families, Han assured that the government would strengthen both financial and mental support, which includes expanding the coverage of medical costs and attendance allowances.

Furthermore, the government will expedite compensation for victims' families, regardless of the final outcomes of ongoing civil and criminal trials.

In addition, Han announced plans to proceed with the establishment of a memorial area.

According to the government's plan, a committee will be formed under the Prime Minister's Office to discuss support measures and maintain communication with the victims' families.

The ruling People Power Party has opposed the bill, asserting that the special bill is unfair as it would allow the opposition bloc to dominate the committee with individuals favorable to the DP and arguing that a comprehensive investigation has already been conducted.

Civic groups, families of the victims and the DP had called for Yoon not to reject the bill, calling for a further investigation to uncover the root cause of the incident.

The DP again criticized Yoon's anticipated endorsement of the Cabinet's decision earlier in the day, arguing that exercising his veto power without justification and proposing support measures without a thorough investigation is an insult to the victims' families.

"The exercise of veto power without justification is turning the Republic of Korea into a country without accountability for disasters, without apologies and without efforts for truth-seeking," said Rep. Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the DP, during a party meeting.

This is the fifth time Yoon has exercised his veto power, with a total of nine bills rejected.

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