Opposition Party Demands Dismissal of Two Ministers

The Board of Audit and Inspections of Korea (BAI) will start a special investigation on Tuesday to clarify the cause of the snowfall upheaval that affected the central region.

An officer from BAI said on Monday that “10 investigation staff members from the Special Investigations Bureau will be sent to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation and the Korea Highway Corporation to examine whether the respective organizations carried out due preventive measure in time of the natural disaster.”

The BAI will scrutinize three main concerns over whether: 1) organizations responsible for prevention of natural disasters responded well in the initial phase of the disaster; 2) facilities and equipment needed for preventing calamities were used as they should have been used; 3) immediate actions were taken for rescue.

In anonymity, the officer said, “Reasons for the highway chaos will be closely examined, including the explanation as to how ordinary cars had been allowed to enter the road for hours that was impossible for the snowplow to enter.”

The BAI also plans to inspect if officers from Korea Highway Corporation, the Natural Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters, National Police Agency and other administrative bodies were in the office for an emergency at the time needed.

In response to this, the Millennium Democratic Party and the Grand National Party will propel criticisms by calling for the dismissal of Home Affairs Minister Huh Sung-kwan, and Construction and Transportation Minister Kang Dong-suk.

Grand National Party Chairman Choe Byung-yul said in the standing committee that morning that “government has great responsibility over this incident. Standing committees under the jurisdiction should summon the officer in charge and verify the truth and the responsibilities.”

Meanwhile, after receiving a report on the government’s response to the heavy snowfall, President Roh Moo-hyun told Kwon Jin-ho, his National Security Advisor, to “investigate the scale of the damage promptly, closely examine object of the regulations to find what corresponding measures could be taken and report it on Tuesday in the cabinet meeting.”

Jung-Hun Kim Seung-Ryun Kim jnghn@donga.com srkim@donga.com