PPP, DP agree to extend National Assembly’s investigation into Itaewon tragedy

Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-keun, left, and People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young announces the agreement to extend the National Assembly's investigation into the Itaewon tragedy for another 10 days at the Natioanl Assembly on Thursday. [YONHAP]

 
The People Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday agreed to extend the National Assembly’s investigation into last year’s Itaewon tragedy for another 10 days until Jan. 17.  
 
The two parties will be voting on the extension of the congressional investigation period on the main floor on Friday.  
 
The congressional investigation, which kicked off on Nov. 24, had a time limit of 45 days and thus expires on Jan. 7.  
 
The special congressional investigation team consists of 18 lawmakers, nine of whom hold seats for the DP and seven of whom hold seats for the PPP. 
 
Democratic Party floor leader Park Hong-keun said the two parties also agreed to discuss the witnesses that will be called in.  
 
The issue of witnesses has caused the biggest conflict between the two parties. The PPP wants to call in DP lawmaker Shin Hyun-young while the DP wants the families of the dead and survivors to appear as witnesses.  
 
Shin has been at the center of controversy for allegedly requesting a medical team that was dispatched to the site of the tragedy, come pick her up.   
 
The emergency medical team is accused of arriving late to the scene due to being forced to divert from their course to collect Shin, a doctor, and her husband, a dentist.  
 
One-hundred-fifty-eight people were killed due to a crowd crush in Itaewon on Halloween last year.  
 
 
 

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]