South Korean police official ``wrong judgment'' in deleting Itaewon disaster report

Park Sunmin (56), former director of public security information and external affairs at the Seoul National Police Agency, who was indicted on charges of instructing the police to delete police intelligence reports related to the Itaewon disaster, filed a report in court on the 23rd.
It has been revealed that the order for deletion was a mistake. At the trial held today at the 11th Criminal Agreement Division of the Seoul Western District Court, Director Park Former revealed that immediately after last year's Itaewon disaster, he told a police officer in charge of intelligence, ``The purpose of
``At the time, I judged it to be the correct execution of my duties according to the regulations,'' he said. According to 'Regulations on Information Collection and Processing, etc. by Police Officers'
He said that he instructed them to destroy the report because once the information they have collected and created has fulfilled its purpose and is no longer needed, it must be discarded.
Director Park former said, ``I was unable to get close to the level of investigating the truth of the tragedy or clarifying responsibility, and the department I was in charge of
The problem arose when we approached the government to correct the mistakes made. It seems that he made the wrong decision based on a narrow observation. I am remorseful," he said.
Director Park Former was involved in the police investigation immediately after the Itaewon disaster, along with Kim Jinho (53), head of the former intelligence division of Yongsan Police Station.
He is currently on trial on charges of causing the specific information request (SRI) report to be deleted in preparation for the incident (including abetting the destruction of evidence). However, through the police intelligence report produced before the tragedy, many people came together.
He did not agree with the prosecution's argument that they could have fully anticipated the safety accidents that could occur. Director Park former said, ``Expanding the interpretation as claimed by the prosecution does not match the meaning of the document.Itaewon tragedy.''
"The incident is beyond the scope of what we would normally consider a safe accident when a large number of people gather together." Meanwhile, before the trial, the families of the defendants held a speech briefing urging harsh punishment for the defendants.
One person did a demonstration. Yoo Hyun-woo, the father of the late Yoo Young-joo, who was a victim of the tragedy, said, ``Even on the first anniversary of her death, there is no one to take responsibility and say, ``It was my mistake.'' police officer
I want him to show justice for his juniors who dream of becoming police officers." Jeong Yun-seok, a lawyer with the Bar Association for a Democratic Society, said, ``We need to prepare safety measures within the police force.''
Although seven reports were prepared regarding the incident, no countermeasures were taken. We fully understand the message this incident sends to Korean society and the tragic feelings of the bereaved families, and proceed with the trial in a strict manner.
I hope so.”