The leader of the police in Seoul has been accused of not doing his job after a Halloween accident that killed 159 young people in South Korea.
Kim Kwang-ho is the top police officer who has been accused in connection to the tragedy, as reported by the local news.
He is being blamed for not having enough police officers in Itaewon, central Seoul, on October 29, 2022.
Over 100,000 people were in that place that night.
Some of the families of the victims are glad that someone was charged, but they think it should have been done sooner.
Mr Kim, who is in charge of the Seoul Police, was not working on 29 October when something bad happened. He was at home.
Authorities say that 137 police officers were sent to Itaewon that night.
There were a lot more young people in the Itaewon entertainment district than there were police officers.
Something seemed wrong in 2022 just after 6:30 pm, a few hours before the deadly crowd accident happened in a side street.
Most of the people who died that night were in their twenties.
In January 2023, a report said that city and emergency responders did not plan well and did not respond to emergencies correctly.
It was found that nothing was done to prevent the emergency, and the right actions were not taken after people asked for help.
Investigators also said that because people didn’t understand what was happening, they didn’t share information on time and different groups didn’t work together.
Map picture 2 .
Tag: Halloween crush
-
Head of Seoul police accused of tragic Halloween crush
-
Itaewon crush: Officer under investigation discovered dead at home
A South Korean police officer who was under investigation for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul was discovered dead at his home, presumably by suicide.
The 55-year-old, identified as Inspector Jeong, was a local police intelligence officer.
Jeong was a suspect in an investigation into the police response to the crush, which tragically killed 156 people, mostly teenagers, and injured another 196.
On Wednesday, he was suspended for allegedly covering up police failings.
Jeong is accused of ordering coworkers to delete an intelligence report written ahead of the Halloween event that warned of the possibility of a serious incident occurring.
Local media reports say a family member found the officer at 12:45 local time at his home in northern Seoul on Friday. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
Most of those killed in the crush on 29 October were celebrating Halloween in the nightlife district of Itaewon for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some accounts say more than 100,000 had descended on the area that evening.
The first call to police from Itaewon came at 18:34 local time, several hours before the deadly crush took place in an alley off the main road.
Authorities said they had 137 officers on the ground at Itaewon that night. But they were outmatched by the many thousands that had flocked to the area.
The entire local police department and fire service are currently being investigated for their role in failing to prevent and respond to the deadly crush.
The victims’ parents and loved ones have pushed for accountability over Seoul police’s response and preparation ahead of the large event in the nightlife district of Itaewon.
South Korea is in mourning, with many young people feeling let down by authorities.
“I felt sad at first. But now I’m angry. I’m here because this incident could have been prevented. Those people were close to my age,” said 22-year-old university student Kang Hee-joo.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Thousands of people gathered in Seoul to protest the authorities’ response to the Halloween crush disaster in Itaewon On 5 November, thousands of people took to the streets for vigil-protests near Seoul City Hall Plaza.
On stage, speakers took turns to rail against the government in speeches interspersed with mournful song performances and prayers recited by Buddhist monks.
“Although the government clearly has responsibility, it is looking for perpetrators from irrelevant organisations… the incident occurred because the government did not play its very basic role,” said one speaker.
“Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government! Step down, Yoon Suk-yeol’s government!” the crowd chanted, waving their candles and placards.
