(LEAD) Request for parliamentary probe into Halloween tragedy reported at National Assembly

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) — A request for a parliamentary probe into the Itaewon crowd crush was reported at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday, kicking off a process to form a special committee to look into the government’s alleged mishandling of the tragedy.

The head of the Proceedings Division of the National Assembly Secretariat reported that the request for a parliamentary investigation was submitted with sponsorship of 181 lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party and two minor parties — the Justice Party and the Basic Income Party.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo ordered the launch of discussions on the request.

The next procedure is to form an 18-member special committee in charge of a probe into the disaster that killed at least 156 people. The committee is then required to come up with an investigation plan that should be approved at a plenary session.

The three parties plan to approve the investigation plan on Nov. 24.

But whether a parliamentary probe can be launched remains uncertain as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has strongly objected, saying it could hamper ongoing investigations into the case.

“A parliamentary probe is nothing but an effort to save Lee Jae-myung,” PPP interim chief Rep. Chung Jin-suk said during a party meeting held earlier in the day, adding the PPP is willing to discuss a probe or an independent counsel investigation if the current investigation is proven insufficient.

The DP is trying to use the probe to shield its party leader Lee from a prosecution investigation, Chung said, referring to a prosecution probe into allegations that two longtime confidants of Lee received illicit money from property developers.

One of the aides, Kim Yong, has been arrested and indicted on charges of taking illegal political funds, while investigators raided the home and office of the other aide, Jeong Jin-sang, over suspicions that he took bribes.

The two have denied the allegations.

The DP strongly condemned the prosecution’s investigation into Lee’s aides as a “political show” to divert people’s attention away from the Itaewon tragedy and break up the main opposition party.

“The prosecution is doing politics, not an investigation,” DP Rep. Park Chan-dae told reporters, accusing the prosecution of abandoning the presumption of innocence and leaking investigation information to the press.

The DP also said it will push for a separate parliamentary probe into alleged irregularities involving the presidential office, including those related to the relocation of the presidential office and the construction of the new presidential residence.

Some observers claim the relocation of the presidential office to the Yongsan area, where Itaewon is located, was part of the reason there was not enough police force to manage the crowd on the night of the deadly crowd surge.