Ruling party politicians speak ill of Itaewon tragedy victims, enraging bereaved family members

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong speaks during a state audit session of KBS conducted by the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, Oct. 17. Kweon received an onslaught of criticism, Saturday, after speaking ill of the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd disaster. Korea Times file

By Ko Dong-hwan

Kim Seong-hoi, former presidential secretary for religious and multicultural affairs in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, lashed out at the bereaved families who formed a civic group after losing their loved ones in the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd disaster.

High-profile politicians from the ruling party and the presidential office are under heavy fire after speaking ill of the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the Oct. 29 crowd disaster in Itaewon, accusing them of venting their anger at the government. Lawmakers and observers chastised the ruling party politicians for their lack of sympathy and political attacks on the family members who started a civic group to call for a full government investigation and an apology from the president.

The most-criticized remark came from Kim Seong-hoi, former presidential secretary for religious and multicultural affairs in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. He criticized the bereaved families for demanding the government take responsibility for poorly managing the crowd on Halloween weekend and for failing to communicate properly with the victims' families.

"Why do you people blame the government for the whole thing when it was your responsibility to keep your grown-up children from going (there)?" Kim wrote on Facebook, Sunday. "Have your children been conscripted by the state from birth? Since when did the president of the free Republic of Korea become the 'supreme paternal leader' (who must take care of all members of the public)?"

It wasn't the first time Kim has disparaged the bereaved families for questioning the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the central government. In his words, the family members share the blame for the 158 deaths ― mostly of those in their 20s ― as they should have prevented their children from visiting the area for Halloween festivities. "This crippled view ― like someone who has one leg shorter than the other ― and the tone of the press that keeps repeating mass disasters, has put all the responsibility on one side," he said, comparing their attitude to "losing money on a bad investment and asking the government for debt forgiveness."

Kim, known for his foul mouth, quit his post in the presidential office less than a month after the Yoon administration was inaugurated in May when some of his past controversial comments surfaced.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong from the conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP) wrote on Facebook on Saturday that he is worried about the victims' families forming the civic group because they might use abuse the opportunity to benefit their own interests "just like those from the Sewol ferry disaster." The Sewol ferry disaster took more than 300 lives in 2014 when it sank en route from Incheon to Jeju due to excessive weight.

"They shouldn't organize themselves and pressure the government," Kweon said. "Some of those civic groups from 2014 embezzled government funds given to them for the memorial project and used them to play around and inculcate people as followers of North Korea. The government should be careful that to avoid politicization of the incident like what happened with the Sewol ferry."

Jin Jung-kwon, an information science professor at Kwangwoon University in Seoul, took issue with Kim Seong-hoi on Monday for his controversial remarks on Facebook. Korea Times file

The remarks brought a backlash from Jin Jung-kwon, a former lawmaker, high-profile progressive critic and information science professor at Kwangwoon University in Seoul. Jin said that any administration unsure of how to make a country safe for its people should step down immediately.

"How come no one from this government is stepping forward to take full responsibility for the tragedy?" Jin wrote on Facebook, Monday, referring to the officials of the Yoon administration as "inhumane."

Rep. Lee Soo-jin from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea responded to Rep. Kweon on Saturday, saying with the use of words like "followers of North Korea" and "embezzlement," the ruling party lawmaker has insulted both the Itaewon disaster victims' families and those of the Sewol ferry tragedy.

"The least we should do is reflect on not having prevented the tragedy," Lee said. "And yet, you are slandering the families and civic groups who are demanding a full investigation. Why? What are you so afraid of? Is it the truth of the disaster, or is it the order of the people to take responsibility for the disaster? I now understand why the Yoon administration tried to screen and meet only select families of the victims and, furthermore, meet each family behind the curtains (instead of all of them at once in an open format)."

The family members of the victims launched the Association of Families of Itaewon Disaster Victims on Saturday, 40 days after the tragedy. Some 170 bereaved family members of 97 of the 158 total victims have joined the group. They announced that the group will continue its work until they get a "sincere apology" from the Yoon administration.

"If the government had investigated the facts and given a sincere apology, we wouldn't have needed to start this group," one of its representatives said, Saturday. The group plans to host a special gathering at Itaewon Station on Friday to commemorate the 49th day since the tragedy, according to a Buddhist practice to pay tribute to those who have passed away.