Handonghun, on 'Police Itaewon 112 Response Failure,' Says "Strict Investigation Needed"

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is moving to pay tribute at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident, set up at Seoul Plaza on the 31st of last month.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, stated regarding the Itaewon disaster 112 emergency call recordings that "this is a matter requiring an extremely strict investigation."

On the morning of the 2nd, Minister Han attended the plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and responded this way when asked by reporters if he had seen the 112 emergency call recordings.

The 112 emergency call recordings released by the National Police Agency the previous day contained details of citizens reporting concerns about potential crushing hazards and requesting police dispatch starting about four hours before the accident occurred on the 29th of last month. It also revealed that the police did not actively control the crowd at the scene. In relation to this, Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon all issued apologies simultaneously.

However, Minister Han emphasized that due to the so-called 'Prosecutorial Reform Act' (amended Prosecutors' Office Act and Criminal Procedure Act), there are limitations on the prosecution's ability to investigate the cause of the disaster. He said, "Due to the legal amendment, large-scale disasters are excluded from the areas where the prosecution can initiate investigations directly. While the enforcement decree allows the prosecution to investigate crimes committed by the police themselves, given the broad scope of the disaster, the prosecution will make a proper judgment."

Regarding concerns about the police conducting self-investigations to protect their own, he mentioned, "I have seen the police say they will conduct a transparent and strict investigation. I do not have any special information beyond that."

Minister Han explained the roles of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters (headed by Hwang Byung-joo, Chief of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office) and the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office Emergency Response Team (led by Chief Prosecutor Han Seok-ri), established to respond to the disaster, saying, "Please understand that their role is to support various legal reviews and other matters."

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