The case was brought up due to police and administrative incompetence, and the local police chief, district chief, and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner General were indicted.
The ruling also found the head of Yongsan district and the governor not guilty. The bereaved families are protesting, saying, "Who should we trust, and who should the public trust to protect their lives?"
In addition, the bereaved families said that the investigations and trials of the accident so far have focused on criminal punishment, and that a criminal trial against an individual cannot properly reveal the truth, and on the 2nd of this month, they announced the publication of "The Truth of the October 29 Itaewon Tragedy."
The incident occurred on October 29, 2017, on the weekend leading up to Halloween, in a crowded street in Itaewon.
The incident occurred in a 159-person hospital, killing 159 people, including two Japanese. Many of the victims were young people in their teens and twenties. The incident was criticized for its lax security system and inadequate response by the police and fire departments.
Since Halloween was celebrated without any restrictions on movement due to the virus outbreak, a large number of people were expected to come out, but the number of police officers mobilized for security was small.
Numerous reports had been made to police and fire departments hours before the accident, including "There are too many people, we are going to be crushed to death," but criticism erupted that the accident was caused by a failure to take appropriate action.
Following the accident, the National Police Agency launched a special investigation headquarters consisting of about 500 people to carry out the investigation. In January of last year, it announced the results of its investigation and issued a statement to the local government, police, fire department, and other authorities in charge of the accident, in accordance with the law and regulations.
The report concluded that the incident was a man-made disaster that occurred because the agencies with the obligation to take all preventative measures and respond to the accident neglected to take advance safety measures.
The local police chief, district chief, and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner General were indicted and put on trial.
The Seoul Western District Court sentenced the then police chief, Lee Im-jae, who was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury, to three years in prison (prosecutors had called for seven years).
This was the first time that negligence was sought. In its ruling, the district court pointed out that the defendant "failed to make an effort to quickly grasp the accident situation, and the measures he took were too late."
The family members of the deceased are also calling for severe punishment, as this was a man-made disaster that could have been prevented if the government had followed through on its orders.
Defendant Park Heeyoung was found not guilty (seven years in prison had been sought). The district court cited the absence of a mandatory regulation for creating a safety management plan for unsponsored events, and said, "There was no requirement to create a safety management plan for unsponsored events, so the court ruled that there was no requirement for the management and control of crowds.
"It is difficult to see that the administrative district has a direct and specific duty of care regarding the deaths of 159 people," the ruling said. The bereaved families are opposed to this ruling. Lee Jung-min, chairman of the bereaved families' association, said, "Even though 159 people died,
"How can someone be innocent? Where is the judiciary in this country?" he said angrily. Furthermore, on the 17th of this month, the same district court also heard the arrest of Kim Gwang, a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency employee who was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury.
The district court found Kim not guilty at the hearing of the trial of the police chief, who was indicted over the accident. Kim was the highest-ranking police officer at the time. The district court found Kim guilty because he knew the accident had occurred based on an internal report.
The court pointed out that the police had failed to grasp the danger of the incident, and determined that it would be difficult to prove professional negligence based solely on the evidence presented by the prosecution.
"I reported the case, but sufficient measures were not taken and he died. If this means he is innocent, then where else should I report it?"
On the 29th, it will be two years since the accident. Prior to this, the bereaved families held a memorial event on the 26th.
After laying flowers and offering prayers at the scene, they marched to downtown Seoul, chanting, "The truth behind the accident must be revealed."
The bereaved families have pointed out that the truth has still not been fully revealed, and on the 2nd of this month
submitted a request to the special investigation committee, stating, "We would like you to investigate the specific cause of the accident, which the police special investigation headquarters and the National Diet special committee on national affairs investigation have been unable to reveal."
The committee listed nine points, including whether the relocation of the presidential office in the same year as the incident caused police and local government officials to focus on work related to the presidential office, contributed to the accident.
According to the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, the chairman of the investigation committee said, "We want to ensure that the bereaved families who have been fighting for nearly two years do not feel any regret and are able to overcome their suffering."
"We will do our best to uncover the truth about how he died."
2024/10/28 15:10 KST
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