Democratic Party seeks 132-eok 8,000-man won for Itaewon inquiry next year

The Democratic Party is seeking to include 132-eok 8,000-man won in next year's government budget proposal for the special commission investigating the October 29 Itaewon disaster and working to prevent its recurrence.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Nam In-soon said lawmakers had agreed to work toward including funding on the same scale as this year during parliamentary budget deliberations. She said this year's budget proposal was 133-eok won and that about 132-eok 8,000-man won should be included for next year.

Nam said the commission remained short of investigators and faced difficulties securing seconded civil servants despite the extension of its mandate. She said next year's budget also failed to include the funding needed for the extended period.

Nam said the National Assembly's passage of an amendment to the special law on the Itaewon disaster in September had extended the commission's mandate by one year, through September 16, 2027.

Regarding delays in the investigation, Nam said the decision to begin investigative work had been delayed after the commission was launched under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and that late document submissions and a lack of cooperation from institutions under investigation had also made gathering basic materials time-consuming.