Relatives of the victims of the Halloween tragedy that took place on October 29 in Seoul’s Itaewon district have called on Tuesday for those responsible «to be punished» for what happened that night when 156 people died due to an avalanche.
At a press conference organized by an association of lawyers representing some thirty affected families, the relatives have set out a series of demands, including a «sincere apology, a thorough investigation and a prevention plan to avoid similar incidents in the future».
They have also asked the government to ensure communication with the authorities and the implementation of measures to encourage remembrance of the victims. Relatives continue to insist that the tragedy was caused by «failures» in managing the crowds of some 130,000 people.
«The failure of the police to send riot police to Itaewon that night shows that they are more interested in managing demonstrations than in the safety of ordinary people,» said the father of one of the victims, according to Yonhap news agency.
Lawyers, meanwhile, confirmed that legal action will be taken after a series of consultations with the family members in question.
THE OPPOSITION ADVOCATES OPENING A PARLIAMENTARY INVESTIGATION The opposition Democratic Party (PD) has stressed the need to open this week a parliamentary investigation into what happened that day despite the fact that the government has promised in principle to launch these investigations once the budget has been approved.
PD leader Park Hong Geun has stressed that the proposal is a step forward, but has indicated that the party will continue to try to push forward its own motion in the meantime.
«Under any circumstances, we will approve the opening of a parliamentary inquiry at the plenary session scheduled for Nov. 24,» he has said. The opposition has accused the government of not acting fast enough despite sufficient alerts.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, the families again called for the resignation of Interior Minister Lee Sang Min and expressed their desire for a parliamentary inquiry to be held in parallel with the official one.
