The main opposition on Wednesday stepped up pressure on the government over the Itaewon tragedy, accusing concerned organizations of attempting to cover up details of the incident.

“Downplaying, covering up, manipulating the situation in an attempt to reduce accountability cannot be forgiven,” Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said at the party’s supreme council meeting Wednesday.

“High-level government officials’ attitudes are in no way taking responsibility.”

The main opposition’s renewed attack on the government over the crowd crush incident follows transcripts of police reports filed before the disaster took place Saturday. The transcripts revealed that police had received at least 11 calls requesting police presence, with some callers saying that people were being crushed or there was significant concern of such an outcome.

“The president, prime minister, minister, not one of them have apologized for the state failing,” the Democratic Party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said, contending that the incident was preventable.

Other members of the opposition leadership went further, calling for the interior minister and police commissioner general to be removed from office, and that legal measures be taken against them.

“Minister Lee and Commissioner Yoon should be removed immediately,” Rep. Jung Chung-rae said, adding that legal action should be taken over the alleged attempt to downplay and cover up errors on the part of authorities. Jung was referring to Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun.

The main opposition is also said to have discussed the possibility of calling for a parliamentary investigation or an independent counsel investigation into the matter.

Lee Jae-myung also criticized Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for downplaying the graveness of the situation by making an inappropriate remark at a press briefing held Tuesday.

Han was asked by a reporter what is "the beginning and the end" of the state's responsibility for the disaster. After a technical problem occurred with the simultaneous translation equipment, Han asked, "What is the first and last responsibility of the person who is responsible for these issues with the interpretation?"

Han made an apology the next day, saying he is sorry for "making people feel uncomfortable."

"The scene was shocking," Lee said, referring to Han's comment. "The prime minister who should be making a full effort in crisis recovery made a joke during a briefing. Was this a place for a joke?"

The main opposition on Wednesday stepped up pressure on the government over the Itaewon tragedy, accusing concerned organizations of attempting to cover up details of the incident.

“Downplaying, covering up, manipulating the situation in an attempt to reduce accountability cannot be forgiven,” Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said at the party’s supreme council meeting Wednesday.

“High-level government officials’ attitudes are in no way taking responsibility.”

The main opposition’s renewed attack on the government over the crowd crush incident follows transcripts of police reports filed before the disaster took place Saturday. The transcripts revealed that police had received at least 11 calls requesting police presence, with some callers saying that people were being crushed or there was significant concern of such an outcome.

“The president, prime minister, minister, not one of them have apologized for the state failing,” the Democratic Party’s Floor Leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said, contending that the incident was preventable.

Other members of the opposition leadership went further, calling for the interior minister and police commissioner general to be removed from office, and that legal measures be taken against them.

“Minister Lee and Commissioner Yoon should be removed immediately,” Rep. Jung Chung-rae said, adding that legal action should be taken over the alleged attempt to downplay and cover up errors on the part of authorities. Jung was referring to Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun.

The main opposition is also said to have discussed the possibility of calling for a parliamentary investigation or an independent counsel investigation into the matter.

Lee Jae-myung also criticized Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for downplaying the graveness of the situation by making an inappropriate remark at a press briefing held Tuesday.

Han was asked by a reporter what is "the beginning and the end" of the state's responsibility for the disaster. After a technical problem occurred with the simultaneous translation equipment, Han asked, "What is the first and last responsibility of the person who is responsible for these issues with the interpretation?"

Han made an apology the next day, saying he is sorry for "making people feel uncomfortable."

"The scene was shocking," Lee said, referring to Han's comment. "The prime minister who should be making a full effort in crisis recovery made a joke during a briefing. Was this a place for a joke?"

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)