"Push, Push" If Someone Deliberately Pushed, Could They Be Punished?

Possible Charges Including Negligent Homicide... Difficult to Prove Causal Relationship with Casualties
Police Conducting Detailed Analysis of Surrounding CCTV to Determine Cause of Accident

On the 31st, chrysanthemums were placed at the site of the Halloween crowd crush accident in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the victims. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the police begin to investigate the initial cause of the Itaewon disaster, testimonies are emerging that a specific group deliberately pushed people, leading to the tragedy. If it is proven that a particular individual intentionally caused harm to others, charges such as negligent homicide or assault resulting in death could be applied. However, experts point out that proving the causal relationship with the loss of life will be challenging.

Survivor A, who was at the scene on the night of the 29th, testified in an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the morning of the 31st that the suspicion of someone deliberately pushing was true. He explained, "Four or five men and women started saying 'Push, push,'" adding, "After that, many people followed the words, and the pressure from pushing intensified, eventually pushing all the way to behind me." He continued, "From behind, they were shouting 'Push, push,' and the music was loud, so many people in front probably couldn't hear the calls to 'Back, back,'" and "(the scene was very noisy at the time) I heard screams from the front, but I think people thought they were shouting out of excitement and pushed even more."

A pointed out three reasons why the disaster escalated. He said, "First, the communication was difficult due to the loud music from the shops; second, because of the narrow road, the crowd caused limited visibility, making it hard to quickly understand the situation; and lastly, people pushing from behind to move forward."

The claim that a specific individual deliberately pushed people also appeared on other social media platforms. Testimonies suggested that mainly groups of five to six men shouted "Push" and "We are stronger," pushing people, which caused some to fall. There were also eyewitness accounts that one of the group members wore a rabbit headband.

If the person who deliberately pushed people to cause them to fall is identified, they can be punished under charges of negligent homicide or assault resulting in death. Professor Yeom Geon-woong of the Department of Police and Fire Administration at U1 University said in an interview with YTN that day, "Especially, determining responsibility is important," adding, "The police are currently conducting rapid digital analysis to clarify 'How did the risk factors arise?' and 'Was it a natural pushing or did someone intentionally push, leading to the suffocation?'"

Professor Yeom added, "There are witness statements that someone was maliciously pushing while shouting 'Push, push,'" and "It must be clearly revealed whether it was malicious pushing or just a prank that led to injury and death, so the police are focusing their investigation on this."

However, there are also prospects that it will be difficult to identify the individuals involved and prove the causal relationship with the fatalities. If safety measures were not implemented at a specific company's event, charges such as professional negligence causing death or the Serious Accident Punishment Act could apply. But in the case of the Itaewon disaster, it occurred at a festival where citizens voluntarily participated, and the accident happened due to crowding, making it a different case. In an interview with YTN the previous day, Professor Yeom said, "If someone pushed another with the intent to harm, charges such as intentional injury, murder, or murder with indirect intent could apply," but he also noted, "(This disaster) should be seen as a natural phenomenon. It was like being pushed along in an underground passage," suggesting it might be difficult to hold a specific person responsible.

The police are securing and analyzing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the accident site to determine the cause of the disaster. On that day, the police obtained 52 CCTV cameras from the Itaewon alleyways and began detailed analysis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.