Hearing Witnesses Consistently Avoiding Responsibility – Survivors “Please Adopt Us as Witnesses”

◀ Anchor ▶

Hearings on the government investigation into the 10.29 tragedy were held twice this week.

Yesterday, it continued until late at night, but Minister Lee Sang-min and other officials were consistent with the attitude of ‘I did everything I had to do’.

The third hearing will be held next week, but the ruling and opposition parties have yet to agree on when it will be held and who will be called as witnesses.

The bereaved families are demanding that they be put on the witness stand.

This is reporter Son Ha-neul.

◀ Report ▶

[이상민/행정안전부 장관]

“I think I’ve done all I can.”

[오세훈/서울특별시장]

“I can’t say I coped perfectly, but I did my best.”

[김광호/서울경찰청장]

“As I’ve said many times, this Itaewon has twenty-something clubs. Then, which club do you place your career in?”

Two hearings held this week.

Those in charge said they had done all they might.

The bereaved families who were listening were outraged.

[윤건영/더불어민주당 의원]

“It’s a country where no one is responsible. Minister, what do you think?”

[이상민/행정안전부 장관]

“Well, that’s a bit exaggerated.”

[신지현/고 김산하 씨 어머니]

“My child died while walking. He just died while walking…”

Eventually, the bereaved family went to the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly on the upper floor of the hearing hall.

[이정민/10·29 이태원 참사 유가족협의회 부대표]

“All the commanders are consistent in their ignorance and are saying a lot of irresponsible things like ‘I didn’t know’.”

[신지현/고 김산하 씨 어머니]

“This is obviously not the fault of only the people at the bottom. They say the system worked, but it didn’t work, and the higher up doesn’t know, so what system worked?”

The government investigation into the October 29 disaster, which was originally until today, was barely extended by 10 days with an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.

However, in the 45 days of the parliamentary investigation, the ruling and opposition parties have already wasted nearly a month for budget bills.

[이종철/10·29 이태원 참사 유가족협의회 대표]

“If you find fault with this and that and the meeting is canceled once more, you will forget the remaining 4 hours like last time…”

The investigation by the Special Investigation Headquarters has already entered the final stages following punishing only a few working-level officials.

The bereaved family requested that they be adopted as witnesses at the third hearing next week.

[안영선/고 김동규 군 어머니]

“The question my child asks me the most is, ‘Mom, did all the bad people get arrested?’ I can’t answer.”

However, the ruling and opposition parties have yet to agree on when and who to call as witnesses.

This is Son Ha-neul from MBC News.

Video coverage: Song Rok-pil / Video editing: Kim Hyun-guk

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