Minister Lee Sang-min, First Report Received at 11:20, Previous Whereabouts Unknown

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Sends Level 1 Emergency Text at 10:57 AM
Seoul City and Yongsan-gu Ordered to Manage Situation
Minister Lee Sang-min Aware of Situation at 11:20 AM
Police Commissioner, Seoul Chief, and Yongsan Station Chief Disclose Movements on the Day
Exact Crowd Size on Day of Disaster Not Accurately Estimated

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is attending the Itaewon accident and COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) announced that immediately after the Itaewon disaster occurred, it sent out a Level 1 emergency alert and instructed Seoul City and Yongsan District to manage the situation. The alert was delivered to Minister Lee Sang-min 23 minutes later at 11:20 PM, and attention is now focused on the minister’s whereabouts before he became aware of the situation that day.

At the briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 6th regarding the Itaewon accident, Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster Safety Management Headquarters at MOIS, explained, "After receiving the Level 1 emergency alert from the fire department, we first instructed Yongsan District and Seoul City to thoroughly manage the situation. The time was 10:53 PM." He added, "Because the situation on site was critical, around 11:40 PM, we dispatched a MOIS director-level official to the scene to oversee the situation and provide support."

The MOIS sent the Level 1 emergency alert (cross-shot) at 10:57 PM, which included the message that "15 patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have occurred due to a crush accident."

The whereabouts of Minister Lee Sang-min on the day of the incident have not yet been disclosed. The minister only became aware of the situation at 11:20 PM when he received the Level 2 emergency alert sent from the MOIS situation room through his secretary. Director Kim said, "We will verify and organize the details and provide further information later."

The Commissioner of the National Police Agency, the Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the Chief of Yongsan Police Station all disclosed their whereabouts on the day of the disaster. Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, was visiting a camping site in Jecheon, Chungbuk, and fell asleep, receiving a phone report on the situation at 12:14 AM the next day. Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, reportedly became aware of the situation around 11:36 PM after receiving a call from the Chief of Yongsan Police Station. Former Chief Lee Im-jae arrived at Noksapyeong Station around 10 PM, just before the disaster occurred, but due to severe traffic congestion, he attempted to detour through Gyeongridan-gil, which took over 55 minutes, finally arriving at the scene around 11:05 PM.

Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is briefing on the contents of the Itaewon accident Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting with directors from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Police Agency, and National Fire Agency at the joint briefing room of the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong City on the morning of the 6th.

It was revealed that on the day of the disaster, Yongsan District did not report related information to the MOIS situation room. According to local government CCTV control center operation regulations, control personnel are required to report emergencies to the police station or the MOIS situation room. Director Kim stated, "As far as I know, there was no report from the Yongsan District control center to the MOIS situation room."

The fire authorities stated that after receiving the report, they communicated the situation to Seoul City and Yongsan District. Lee Il, Director of the 119 Response Bureau at the National Fire Agency, responded, "We notified the Seoul Disaster Integrated Situation Room at 10:28 PM and the Yongsan District Office Situation Room at 10:29 PM by phone."

It was also revealed that reports received by the fire authorities before the accident were not forwarded to the MOIS situation room. The National Fire Agency had previously stated at a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing that 17 reports were received before the accident time of 10:15 PM. Director Lee said, "Not all reports received by 119 are notified to MOIS. We filter them based on the severity of the incident."

According to the 2022 Halloween Day fire safety measures prepared by the Yongsan Fire Station, volunteer firefighters and rapid response teams were organized on the day, with 60 personnel deployed at the scene.

The exact number of people gathered at the scene on the day of the disaster has not been precisely tallied. Based on subway boarding and alighting figures provided by Seoul Metro, the number is 130,000. According to data submitted to Representative Lee Seong-man of the Democratic Party by Seoul Metro, on the 29th alone, 48,558 people boarded and 81,573 people alighted at Itaewon Station.

Director Kim said, "We will review whether the number of people gathered in that area needs to be included in the investigation of causes and related processes."

Regarding the proposal by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association and others to use the term "10.29 Disaster" instead of "Itaewon Disaster," Director Kim responded, "We will listen to and review various opinions, including those of experts."

As of 9 AM that day, the number of victims of the Itaewon disaster was 156, including 26 foreigners, with 197 injured, including 33 seriously injured. The number of injured increased by one compared to the previous day. The funeral procedures for 130 Korean victims will be completed with the last one on that day.

The government will intensively inspect evacuation routes and risk factors at multi-use facilities and stadiums during large gatherings starting from the 10th. On the 7th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will hold a "National Safety System Inspection Meeting" chaired by President Yoon Seok-yeol to review the current disaster safety management system, including large-scale crowd control, and discuss improvement measures.

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