Police Begin Investigation of Yongsan Chief and Seoul Police 112 Head... Summons Expected Soon

Fact verification upon receipt of inspection data
Focus on identifying causes and responsibility of the disaster
85 witnesses and others investigated to reconstruct the scene
Special Investigation Unit Chief promises "an investigation without sanctuary"

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a member of the Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) of the police, who completed a search and seizure at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, is coming out of the building. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters announced on the 4th that it will begin a full-scale investigation into two police superintendent-level officers who delayed reporting to the command during the Itaewon disaster.

The Special Investigation Headquarters held a press briefing at the Seoul Police Agency's Mapo Investigation Office on the morning of the same day, stating, "We are currently preparing to investigate Superintendent Lee Im-jae, Chief of Yongsan Police Station, and Superintendent Ryu Mi-jin, Director of Personnel and Education at the Seoul Police Agency, regarding their roles during the Itaewon disaster," and added, "Once the disciplinary materials are transferred from the Police Agency's Special Inspection Team, we will verify the facts." The Special Investigation Headquarters also said, "After reviewing the disciplinary materials and completing preparations, we plan to summon the two superintendents."

Earlier, the Police Agency's Special Inspection Team reported that these two officers neglected their duties such as reporting to superiors during the disaster, placed them on standby, and referred the case to the Special Investigation Headquarters for investigation. According to the inspection team, Superintendent Ryu was found to have neglected his duty to comprehensively manage and report the security situation, resulting in a delayed understanding of the disaster and late reporting. Superintendent Lee, as the police chief responsible for the area where the accident occurred, was supposed to oversee the scene but arrived late, neglected command management, and delayed reporting, according to police findings.

The Special Investigation Headquarters emphasized that the investigation will focus on determining the cause of the disaster and assigning responsibility. They also stated that they are conducting a comprehensive and impartial investigation into all factors related to the accident, including various suspicions raised by the media. Previously, on the 2nd, the Special Investigation Headquarters conducted raids on eight locations, including the Seoul Police Agency, and are currently analyzing the seized materials. They said, "There are no suspects registered in connection with criminal charges yet," and "We plan to summon and investigate related individuals once the analysis of the materials is complete."

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency Photo by Yonhap News

However, the Special Investigation Headquarters refrained from commenting on whether Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun, the highest police official related to this disaster, is included in the investigation. They stated, "It is not appropriate to conduct the investigation with any presumptions," and "We are keeping all possibilities open during the investigation." They added, "Since it is still early in the investigation, it is inappropriate to specify the scope of the investigation," and "The extent of the investigation will be decided later depending on the investigation stage."

The Special Investigation Headquarters also revealed that they are putting full effort into reconstructing the scene at the time of the disaster to determine its cause. To this end, they have summoned 85 individuals as witnesses, including eyewitnesses, injured parties, and nearby business owners, and have secured and are analyzing 144 CCTV cameras near the accident site. Additionally, they have requested the National Forensic Service to conduct a 3D simulation of the situation during the disaster. A representative of the Special Investigation Headquarters said, "Once the National Forensic Service completes the 3D simulation, we expect the scene at the time to be reconstructed in detail."

Previously, the Police Agency converted the investigation headquarters under the Seoul Police Agency, which was originally established for the Itaewon disaster investigation, into the Special Investigation Headquarters. The Special Investigation Headquarters is led by Son Je-han, Chief of Changwon Jungbu Police Station in Gyeongnam Police Agency (Senior Superintendent), and consists of a total of 501 personnel. The chief investigator operates independently without supervision from higher authorities and reports only the final results. On the same day, Chief Son stated, "We take the public's demand to clearly identify the cause and responsibility of the accident very seriously," and "We will conduct an investigation without any sanctuary to leave no suspicion behind."

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