[Itaewon Disaster] Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Establishes 'Itaewon Accident One-Stop Integrated Support Center' (Comprehensive)

Integrated Support Including Funeral, Medical Treatment, Relief Funds, and Counseling
Discussion on Accident Cause Investigation, Recovery, Psychological Support, and Illegal Extension Inspection Status
Eight Violations of Building Laws Near Accident Site... "Effective Measures Will Be Established"
Wireless Communication Devices Distributed for Communication Among Local Governments, Fire Department, and Police, but "No Inter-Agency Communication"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] A 'One-Stop Integrated Support Center for the Itaewon Accident' will be established to assist the victims and their families of the 'Itaewon Halloween crowd crush disaster.'

Bang Moon-kyu, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, announced at a briefing following the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH, headed by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo) meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 4th that the Itaewon Accident One-Stop Integrated Support Center will be set up under the CDSCH as an integrated civil service office.

The support center will provide various assistance such as funeral arrangements for the deceased, medical treatment for the injured, relief fund payments, psychological therapy, and counseling. The center will be headed by a director from the Prime Minister’s Office, with personnel dispatched from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and others, operating with one center head and four teams to carry out related support activities.

At the CDSCH meeting that day, in addition to the establishment of the integrated support center, discussions were held on the investigation of the accident’s cause and recovery status, psychological support status, and illegal building extension inspections.

Director Bang explained, "The police have established a special investigation headquarters composed of 501 investigators, working with related agencies such as the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Yongsan Police Station, and Yongsan District Office to determine the cause of the accident." He added, "A special inspection team is conducting internal audits on police officers involved in the accident regarding the appropriateness of the entire on-site response process, including the handling of 112 emergency calls." He emphasized, "Once the investigation and inspection are completed, strict accountability will be enforced accordingly, and the results will be thoroughly explained to the public."

Regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the day before, Minister Lee Sang-min chaired a meeting of ministers responsible for safety management in densely populated areas, providing guidance on disaster and safety management for metropolitan cities with populations exceeding 500,000.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported that, in cooperation with the police and others, accident prevention activities will be conducted during peak times at subway transfer stations and other crowded places. When large-scale mass gatherings are expected, a cooperative system involving central government ministries, local governments, and event organizers will be established for response. Additionally, official documents have been sent to local governments to provide relief services such as temporary accommodations and relief supplies to families of the injured who require long-term hospital care, treating them as disaster victims.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that public officials have been assigned to assist 35 hospitalized injured individuals by providing guidance on medical expense support. Since the 30th of last month, psychological counseling has been provided 1,203 times and information 1,063 times to bereaved families and the injured, with interpretation support also ongoing.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport disclosed the status of unauthorized illegal building extensions and road management highlighted by this accident, as well as future inspection plans. Director Bang said, "According to the Ministry of Land’s investigation, out of 17 buildings near the accident site, 8 were confirmed to have unauthorized extensions." He explained, "We will cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Yongsan District to ensure that regulations related to illegal buildings are properly enforced."

Director Bang also added, "Under the Building Act, enforcement fines are imposed to compel compliance, but it was found that building owners operated illegal buildings while paying these fines." He noted, "We discussed reviewing measures to ensure the effectiveness of enforcement fines."

Regarding the change of the CDSCH meeting spokesperson to Director Bang from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the main ministry in charge of this disaster, amid rumors of Minister Lee Sang-min’s dismissal, Director Bang dismissed the resignation speculation, stating, "There were many inquiries not only about the various causes of the accident but also about the government’s response. I thought it necessary for the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which oversees the CDSCH, to provide a comprehensive explanation. Since today is the last day of the national mourning period and tomorrow is the weekend, we arranged this briefing today."

When asked whether the 4th generation (PS-LTE) wireless communication devices, capable of simultaneous communication among police, fire, and local governments, which were distributed last year, were not utilized during this disaster, Director Bang responded, "It is true that a disaster communication network has been built over a long period." He added, "It is truly regrettable that the effectively established disaster communication network was not effectively used in this disaster situation, and I believe related investigations should be conducted."

Kim Sung-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "There is a system where pressing a button connects all institutions included in the communication group, but this part did not function properly this time." This implies that although communication among related agencies was necessary, the integrated group communication feature was not used.

Director Kim further explained, "Communication within individual agencies was smoothly conducted via the disaster safety communication network. For example, the police had about 1,500 devices on site, all of which could communicate simultaneously, divided into 13 groups for group communication."

Regarding the opposition party’s request for the release of call recordings from the disaster, drug-related materials, and mobilization data, which have not been disclosed, Deputy Commissioner Woo Jong-su of the National Police Agency said, "The special investigation headquarters was launched and conducted extensive searches the day before yesterday. Therefore, the materials requested by the opposition party have been seized and are under investigation." He added, "Since these materials are part of an ongoing investigation, disclosure must be very carefully considered. Once the investigation and inspection are completed, all information will be accurately disclosed to the public."

Experts have long suggested integrating 112 and 119 emergency numbers, and the disaster highlighted the need for such integration. Director Bang said, "112 is originally a security-oriented system, and 119 is a rescue-oriented system. Despite the need for integration, simultaneous unification could cause confusion, which delayed improvements." He added, "As seen in this accident, everyone agrees on the need for integration. We will review ways to operate integrated services while avoiding confusion."

When asked why Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun of the National Police Agency was not in Seoul on the day of the disaster, Deputy Commissioner Woo replied, "I understand it was due to personal reasons."

Meanwhile, the disaster resulted in 156 deaths, with the number of injured increasing by four to 191. Among the deceased, 130 were Korean nationals, 129 of whom have completed funeral services. Of the 26 foreigners, funerals for seven have been completed. Lee Woo-sung, Director of Overseas Safety Management Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained, "As of 9 a.m., two foreign bodies are stored domestically, and five have been transported. Four more bodies are scheduled to be transported today." He added, "Procedures for the remaining 15 are underway in consultation with the bereaved families," clarifying that there is no delay in the process.

Of the 191 injured, 158 have been treated and discharged, while 33 remain hospitalized.

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