S. Korea approves new inquiry into deadly 2022 crush
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STORY: South Korea voted on Thursday (May 2) to launch a fresh probe into Seoul's deadly 2022 Halloween crowd crush.
The incident in the capital's Itaewon district killed nearly 160 people.
The country's National Assembly voted to approve the bill, backed by both the ruling and opposition parties, to further investigate the tragedy.
It comes amid growing pressure on authorities, including from relatives of the victims, to hold those responsible for the fatal crush to account.
Joung Mi-ra, the mother of one of the mostly young people who were killed, spoke outside the parliament.
“Yoon Suk Yeol’s government will sincerely respond to requests for data submission and attendance for fact-finding and should not try to hide or reduce anything. Through this, the fundamental cause and responsibility of the disaster on October 29, 2022 should be identified, and the honor of 159 victims should be restored and measures to prevent recurrence should be taken.”
An earlier bill, backed by the opposition-led parliament but not the ruling People Power Party, was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol in January.
This latest bill is a compromise.
It doesn't grant full investigative power to the panel, which Yoon's office said he objected to.
But under the legislation, a committee recommended by two major parties and a chair chosen by them will look into the tragedy.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee, as well as victim's families, have repeatedly called for an independent inquiry.
A police investigation published early last year concluded that unpreparedness and an inadequate response were the main factors behind the deadly crush.
In January, South Korean prosecutors indicted the former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
He was charged with contributing to the crush through negligence.
No senior government figures have resigned or been sacked so far.
