Interior and Safety Minister Impeached over Halloween Stampede

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a motion to impeach Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min over the bungled response to the deadly Halloween stampede in Itaewon last year.

Lee is suspended from duties until the Constitutional Court makes a final decision within 180 days whether to endorse the impeachment.

This is the first time ever that a Cabinet minister has been impeached by the National Assembly.

The motion was introduced by the main opposition Minjoo Party, which still has a super-majority in parliament, and the minor Justice Party and Basic Income Party on Monday, 101 days after the tragedy.

It required the consent of half the lawmakers to pass, and 179 out of 293 voted in favor.