South Korean minister impeached over Itaewon crowd crush

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament has impeached Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, holding him responsible for government failures in disaster planning and the response that likely worsened a crowd crush that killed nearly 160 people in October. The impeachment Wednesday suspends Lee from his duties and the Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on whether to formally unseat him or reinstate him to his job. He’s a key ally of the president, whose office accused opposition lawmakers of abandoning legislative principles and creating “shameful history.” An investigation found police and public officials failed to use meaningful crowd control measures and ignored calls about the huge crowds in the Itaewon nightlife district hours before the deadly crush.