[Itaewon Tragedy] Lee Sang-min Questions "Whether Police Force Was the Cause"... Faces Backlash and Belatedly Expresses "Regret"

130,000 Gather in Itaewon, 30% Increase from Previous Years
Lee Sang-min: "Police Force Increased by 40% Compared to Previous Years"
Only at 4 PM: "Regret Over Public Concern Remarks"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is moving to pay respects at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident set up at Seoul Plaza on the 31st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said on the 31st regarding the cause of the Itaewon crush disaster, "It's not that it was impossible to prevent the accident through police and fire department response, but I question whether that was the cause." Despite the spread of negative public opinion, he repeated his previous stance until the morning, receiving heavy criticism, and later in the afternoon expressed "regret" to manage the situation.

At around 10:30 a.m. that day, after paying respects at the joint memorial altar for the Itaewon accident victims set up in front of Seoul City Hall Plaza, Minister Lee responded to reporters' questions about the meaning of his statement that "it was impossible to prevent the accident by pre-deploying police and fire personnel." Despite criticism that his remarks were inappropriate for a Minister of the Interior and Safety, he maintained his previous position.

At a briefing during an emergency countermeasure meeting held at the Government Seoul Office the previous day, Minister Lee said, "Deploying police and fire personnel in advance was not a problem that could be solved," which led to accusations of shirking responsibility. He also stated, "Compared to before, there was not an unusually large crowd. It is understood that a similar level of forces as usual were deployed."

On the day, Minister Lee told reporters on site, "We need to study more deeply whether the accident was truly caused by a shortage of police forces or if there are fundamental issues to be corrected regarding assemblies or gatherings."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is paying respects at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident set up at Seoul Plaza on the 31st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

He continued, "There were no (pre-detected) unusual signs," and explained, "The number of citizens gathered in Itaewon for Halloween increased by about 30% from the usual 80,000 to 100,000 to 130,000 this year, and the police force increased by 40% from the usual 80 to 100 officers to about 130 this year."

Minister Lee clarified, "It is because we need to know the exact cause to prevent future major disasters that we should not make premature predictions, speculations, or politically inflammatory claims until the police release an accurate cause of the accident."

After his responsibility-avoiding remarks caused controversy the previous day, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety issued explanatory materials to the press corps around 4 p.m. that day. Minister Lee said, "While it is most important to accurately identify the cause of the accident to prevent recurrence, I regret making remarks that may have caused concern among the public," and added, "I will devote myself more to managing the aftermath of the accident going forward."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han, addressing criticism that negative public opinion was spreading over Minister Lee Sang-min's remarks, said, "Overall, I think it was meant to explain that a larger number of police personnel than usual were deployed and worked hard in various ways at the accident site."

Regarding the responsibility of local governments and the police raised in connection with this disaster, Prime Minister Han said, "There are many counterarguments about that, and I believe the exact cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated and revealed."

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