Ruling party to push for disaster law revision for tighter crowd control

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday pledged to push for a revision of the disaster and safety law, a day after President Yoon Suk-yeol called for a crowd control system for unorganized and spontaneous events in the wake of a deadly crowd crush in Seoul.

"We will push to revise the Framework Act on the Management Of Disasters And Safety to bolster safety management in events without organizers," Rep. Sung Il-jong, the PPP's chief policymaker, told a party response meeting.

On Monday, Yoon instructed the government to come up with a crowd control system for unorganized events following the deaths of at least 155 partygoers, mostly in their 20s, who took part in Halloween festivities in Seoul's entertainment district of Itaewon on Saturday.

The incident, the nation's worst disaster since the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 that killed 304 people, has prompted critics to question lax safety rules, given that events without organizers are not mandated to draw up safety control measures or report to relevant governments and police and firefighting authorities.

Sung called for all-out efforts to determine the exact cause of the Halloween crowd crush. He also asked the government to examine safety manuals for large events and look into safety circumstances in construction sites, plants and industrial facilities.

PPP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young, meanwhile, called for people to refrain from spreading false information about the tragedy, saying they could further hurt victims and bereaved relatives, as well as cause social confusion.

A parliamentary briefing on the incident is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the parliamentary public administration and safety committee. The PPP plans to hold a policy consultation meeting with the government to discuss legislative revisions following a weeklong national mourning period.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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