Yoon's office says minister's dismissal should be considered after probe into Itaewon tragedy

SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- The office of President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday the question of dismissing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min should be considered after an investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush is completed.

The statement comes a day after the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a dismissal motion against Lee to hold him responsible for the government's bungled response to the tragedy that killed 158 people on Oct. 29.

"There is no change to our existing position that the dismissal issue is something that should be decided after the truth is clearly determined," deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said during a press briefing.

"For the victims and their families, what is most important is determining the truth and establishing who is legally responsible. Through this, the scope of the state's legal responsibility will be decided, and only when this becomes clear can we properly provide state compensation to the victims' families," he added.

The spokesperson was referring to an ongoing police investigation into the tragedy and a separate parliamentary probe that is due to begin.

When asked if his comments could be interpreted as the president's rejection of the dismissal motion, a presidential official said that would be a "misreading."

The main opposition Democratic Party has threatened to impeach the minister if Yoon rejects the dismissal motion.

hague@yna.co.kr
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