'33 Minutes of Silence' Fire Report at 10:15, Ministry of the Interior Received at 10:48

Itaewon Disaster: 33 Minutes After 119 First Report, Ministry of the Interior and Safety Situation Room Received
Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "Not Immediately Reported to Situation Room After Police Receipt"
No Comment on 33-Minute Reporting Procedure
Fire Authorities "Checking" for Signs of 119 Report Before 10:15 AM

On the 2nd, Park Jong-hyun, Director of Social Disaster Response Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is making a presentation at the briefing related to the Itaewon disaster held at the Sejong Government Complex.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] It has been confirmed that reports related to the Itaewon disaster were received by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's situation room 33 minutes after being reported to the fire authorities.

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing on the 2nd regarding the Itaewon disaster, Park Jonghyun, Director of Social Disaster Response Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "The fire department first received the report at 10:15, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's situation room received it at 10:48."

The first report to the police via 112 on the day of the disaster was at 6:34 PM. The fire station received the report at 10:15 PM. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room received the incident 33 minutes later than this.

Director Park explained, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's emergency response system works such that when an emergency occurs and a report is received through the police, fire department, or Korea Forest Service, it is forwarded to the Ministry's situation room. The situation room chief then determines whether the matter needs to be reported up to the vice minister or minister and takes appropriate action."

He added, "As far as we know so far, the situation in Itaewon was not immediately relayed to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's situation room right after the police or fire department first received the report."

When asked if the report was received only after the situation had already unfolded, Director Park said, "The police first received calls from citizens in Itaewon, but it seems that this was not immediately reported to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's situation room."

Hwang Changseon, Director of the Police Agency's Security Situation Management, said, "It is true that 112 calls increased during the event period," and added, "Among them, 11 cases were detected. The Special Investigation Headquarters and Special Inspection Team are operating, so this will be an important matter for investigation."

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety did not provide a clear answer regarding what reporting procedures or decisions were made during the '33 minutes' between the fire department's report reception and the situation room's reception. Director Park said, "There is nothing I can answer at this time. I will check and inform you later."

Despite being the control tower overseeing disaster and safety, the fact that reports received by the police and fire authorities were delayed by over '30 minutes' inevitably raises questions of responsibility.

On the 2nd, during the national mourning period following the large-scale crush disaster in Itaewon, visitors continued to pay their respects at the memorial space set up near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Regarding whether the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which oversees local governments, plans to conduct audits or investigations on Seoul City, Director Park said, "The Police Agency is conducting investigations, inquiries, and inspections, and actions will be taken based on those results."

The fire authorities clarified that reports received before 10:15 PM were related to 'general emergency medical situations.'

Lee Il, Director of the 119 Response Bureau at the National Fire Agency, explained, "There were no direct reports related to signs of an accident," and added, "There were seven reports from Itaewon, but they were related to general emergency medical situations such as intoxicated persons around the Itaewon event site."

Director Lee later corrected his statement, saying, "As of now, there are none, and we are continuing to verify this."

On the same day, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as a follow-up measure to the Itaewon crush disaster, they will operate a 'Mass Crowd Accident Safety Assurance Task Force (TF)' to manage safety at events with large crowds. The TF will be chaired by the Minister of the Interior and Safety and will include the Police Agency, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul City, and private experts.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 9 AM that day, the number of casualties was 156 (including 26 foreigners). The total number of injured was 157, including 33 seriously injured. By the previous day, 68 funerals had been completed. The government will provide support to foreign victims on par with Korean nationals and will offer humanitarian support including repatriation costs, funeral expenses, medical fees, and relief funds for two undocumented foreigners.

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