2023-06-26 12:18:00
Democratic Party floor leader Park Kwang-on meets with the bereaved families who are on a hunger strike in front of the National Assembly on the 26th, calling for the enactment of a special law for the Itaewon disaster. yunhap news
On the 26th, National Human Rights Commission of Korea Standing Committee member Lee Choong-sang made harsh remarks about the Itaewon disaster, saying, “The disaster occurred because (victims) were careless,” and “Is it a more precious disaster than the 5.18?” poured out Member Lee was appointed as a standing member of the Human Rights Commission in October of last year after the Yoon Seok-yeol government took office.
On this day, the Human Rights Commission decided whether to express its opinion on the ‘Special Law Enactment Proposal for Guaranteeing the Rights of Victims of the Itaewon Massacre on October 29, Investigating the Truth, and Preventing a Recurrence’. Seven members, including Chairman Song Doo-hwan, expressed an opinion in favor, and two people expressed an opinion against it. Abstention is 1 person.
The problem is the remarks of this standing committee member at this meeting. At this meeting, he said, “The victims gathered too much on their own because they were careless, and the disaster occurred. In the case of the Itaewon disaster, there are no structural problems related to the occurrence of the disaster.” At the same time, he said, “(The Itaewon Disaster Special Act) seems to be used by the Democratic Party for political gain.” It means that the responsibility for the disaster lies with the victims, and raising the issue of state responsibility for this case is nothing more than a partisan attack.
Standing committee member Lee also made remarks that seemed to compare the value of the Itaewon disaster and the May 18 Democratization Movement. He said, “The Itaewon Tragedy Special Act has much stronger provisions than the May 18th Special Act. Is the Itaewon disaster, an accident that occurred when a crowd gathered to enjoy a festival on their own and was pushed and fell, a more precious disaster than the May 18 Democratization Movement, in which citizens were intentionally killed by state power?”
Standing member Lee said that the composition of the investigative committee for the special law on the Itaewon disaster was ‘reminiscent of the Yushin Constitution’. Standing member Lee said, “The recommended members are one-third of the bereaved families, and the ruling and opposition parties make up one-third, so if the bereaved families and opposition parties are combined, they make up two-thirds. This is reminiscent of the fact that at the time of the Yushin Constitution, the ruling party of the government occupied two-thirds of the National Assembly.”
Other human rights commissioners strongly objected to this. Human Rights Commissioner Seo Mi-hwa said, “How can the opinion of a human rights commissioner be so violating human rights?”
Human Rights Commission Commissioner Song Doo-hwan said, “Simply asking if a lot of people were in a small place and fell on their own and got into an accident is similar to asking if it was a traffic accident during the Sewol ferry disaster.” I think the claim is out of focus.”
Relatives of the victims of the Itaewon disaster who attended the meeting protested the remarks of the standing committee member and then left. One bereaved family even wiped their tears with a handkerchief.
The bereaved families applauded and cheered when the expression of opinions related to the special law was passed. Lee Seong-hwan, the father of the late victim Lee Sang-eun, who attended the meeting, said, “It was exhausting to see this commissioner interrupting other human rights commissioners’ remarks and denying the state responsibility for the disaster without much logic. It is also a problem to look at the voices of the bereaved families asking for a special law from a partisan point of view,” he said. “I am grateful that the human rights commissioners agreed with the necessity of enacting the special law and passed the agenda.”
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