South Korea’s parliament approves an independent investigation into the devastating 2022 Halloween crush

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Thursday approved legislation mandating a new independent investigation into the 2022 Halloween Crush in Seoul that killed 159 people.

The unicameral National Assembly approved the bill by a vote of 256 to 0. It will become law after it is signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and promulgated by his government agency – steps considered formalities because the president and his ruling party already agreed on the legislation.

The bill aims to delve deeper into the cause of the disaster, details on how authorities handled the disaster and who should be blamed for it. It also provides for the establishment of a nine-member commission of inquiry that would independently investigate the disaster for 15 months.

Once the commission determines who is responsible and against whom charges should be filed, it will report this to the government’s investigative authorities. According to the bill, the agencies would then complete the investigation into the suspects within three months.

The crush, one of South Korea’s worst peacetime disasters, sparked a nationwide outpouring of grief. The victims, mostly in their 20s and 30s, had gathered in Seoul’s popular Itaewon entertainment district for Halloween celebrations.

In the wake of the tragedy, there was also anger that the government had once again ignored safety and regulatory issues, despite lessons learned since the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, which killed 304 people – mostly teenagers during a school trip.

In early 2023, a special police investigation concluded that police and municipal officials had failed to formulate effective crowd control measures despite correctly anticipating a large number of people in Itaewon. At the time, investigators said police also ignored hotline calls from pedestrians warning of a surging crowd before the wave turned deadly.

More than two dozen police and other officials have been tried over the disaster, but few top officials have been charged or held accountable. This has prompted relatives and opposition lawmakers to call for an independent investigation.

President Yoon had previously opposed a new investigation into the disaster.

However, during a meeting with liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on Monday, Yoon said he would not oppose resolving some existing disputes, such as whether the investigative committee can apply for arrest warrants.

There was a change in Yoon’s position as he faced increasing public calls to work with Lee’s Democratic Party, which scored a landslide victory in the April 10 parliamentary election, edging control of parliament by another was extended for four years.

At a meeting with Yoon’s ruling People Power Party on Wednesday, Lee’s party agreed to remove controversial clauses from the bill.

“I can’t describe how happy we are that we can now pass the special law,” Jin Sung-joon, chief policymaker of the Democratic Party, said ahead of the vote. “We have accepted the demands of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his colleagues. ruling party in consideration of the desperate pleas of the relatives, who said they cannot wait any longer.”