On Jan. 30, President Yoon vetoed a special bill appealing to those who lost a family member in the Oct 23, 2023 Itaewon tragedy where several people were pushing and shoving to reach the bottom of an alleyway, leading to several injuries and deaths. 

After the initial incident, congress proposed a law to investigate the event’s details and provide financial condolences. If passed, the investigative team would comprise 60 employees who would review details about different stakeholders’ responsibilities, new safety protocol measures, and other factors relevant to the incident.  

In addition to further investigation, this policy also allows for more financial aid to compensate for the physical and mental toll of the tragedy on the victims’ families. Anyone who is directly tied to the family of an Itaewon victim would be given these support policies. 

President Yoon, however, vetoed the special bill, arguing that the investigative team may invade citizens’ privacy and excessively use taxpayer money for an unnecessary cause. 

“This may be the right decision,” David Kim (11), political enthusiast, said. “While the tragedy was horrible, the government shouldn’t be paying for the death of those in the middle of a Halloween celebration party.”

On the other hand, critics have called out a lack of government preventive strategies on Oct. 29 as the government’s fault, arguing that such shortcomings warrant these policies, especially because this is Yoon’s fifth veto after taking office. 

“I understand the perspective agreeing with President Yoon, but ultimately the government should make up for this incident in some way,” Dominic Hahm (11), avid politics follower, said. “While the deaths and injuries in this incident weren’t the government’s fault, it’s also true that the government could have taken precautions to ensure the safety of everyone.”