POLITICAL DISPUTE OVER ACCOUNTABILITY

[Anchor Lead]

Now turning to news related to the Itaewon disaster. As recordings of emergency phone calls seeking police help before the tragedy occurred have been disclosed, both rival parties have departed from their initial stances of mourning the victims while avoiding political disputes. They are now calling for taking concerned officials accountable. But they are showing differences over the timing and targets.

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Withdrawing its previous stance of giving bipartisan cooperation, the Democratic Party launched an offensive against the Yoon administration. The main opposition bloc blasted the administration for attempting to shift responsibility, noting the disclosure of police emergency phone calls and the prime minister's joke-like remarks as well as the blank black ribbon controversy.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(Chair, Democratic Party) : "Their attempts to downscale, hide and fabricate the accident is unforgivable. The attitudes of high-ranking government officials is not that of those who are willing to take responsibility."

The DP called for the dismissal of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and Police chief Yoon Hee-geun. It insisted that the administration is attempting to avoid responsibility through inspections on the police, noting the NPA's internal documents on the Itaewon crowd crush. The Justice Party officially demanded the dismissal of Lee and Yoon, warning that pleas for help will turn into anti-government slogans if the government fails to take the situation seriously.

[Soundbite] Lee Jeong-mi(Chair, Justice Party) : "This is the reality government and ruling party officials have been showing for four days during the mourning period. We concluded there's nothing to expect from this government."

The atmosphere inside the PPP has also changed amid the controversy over the internal police document.

[Soundbite] Chung Jin-suk(PPP Emergency Committee chief) : "It is necessary to find why proper measures were not taken during the crush. Those concerned should be held accountable."

However, the ruling bloc is focusing on taking follow-up measures including the proposal of a bill to prevent such disasters in the future. The PPP said it would be better to hold concerned officials responsible after the national mourning period is over. Ahn Cheol-soo said recordings of emergency phone calls show the government is not free from responsibility. Kwon Eun-hee demanded the dismissal of the interior minister and police chief, claiming the government is shifting responsibility to police. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized PM Han Duck-soo for disgracing the crush victims with his joke-like remarks. He called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to make a decision regarding the prime minister.