The Constitutional Court's impeachment trial for interior minister Lee Sang-min over accusations of mishandling the fatal Itaewon crowd crush last October began on Tuesday.

The National Assembly, which filed the impeachment, accused the minister of failing to draw up preventive measures ahead of the foreseeable disaster, and neglecting to designate a state agency to oversee post-disaster management.

The minister's legal representatives argued that there was no grave violation of the Constitution or the law that would call for his impeachment, adding that no one could have predicted such a tragedy.

Out of ten witnesses put forth by parliament, the court plans to question four from the interior ministry, the National Fire Agency, and the National Police Agency on May 23 and June 13.

The court will decide at a later date whether to accept survivors and family members of the deceased as witnesses following a parliamentary request, and whether to conduct an on-site inspection of the site of the disaster.

In February, a bloc of three opposition parties pushed to pass a motion to impeach the minister, accusing him of violating the Constitution, the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety and the State Public Officials Act.

The court is reportedly seeking to reach a ruling by August at the latest.