No Response to Investigation Requests Including from Yongsan Police Chief... Special Investigation Unit and Inspection Team Already Out of Sync

Inspection Team "Will Request to Special Investigation Headquarters"
Four Days Passed but No Data Provided

Special Investigation Headquarters Conducts Separate Investigation Without Data, Launches Probe into Negligence and Other Charges

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Byeongdon Yoo] The Police Agency's Special Inspection Team, investigating allegations of police negligence in response to the Itaewon tragedy, has not yet submitted the investigation request and inspection materials regarding former Yongsan Police Station Chief (Senior Superintendent) Lee Im-jae, who was the overall person in charge at the scene, to the Special Investigation Headquarters as of the 7th.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy, the inspection team did not hand over the investigation request and inspection materials for Senior Superintendent Lee, who was placed on standby suspension on the 2nd for delayed reporting to the command during the tragedy, to the Special Investigation Headquarters by the night of the previous day. The inspection team announced that they would request an investigation on the following day for former Seoul Police Agency Personnel and Training Director (Senior Superintendent) Ryu Mi-jin, who worked as the Seoul Police Agency Situation Manager on the day of the tragedy, along with former Chief Lee, but formal procedures have not been taken even after four days.

The Special Investigation Headquarters stated during a briefing held at the Mapo Police Station of the Seoul Police Agency on the 4th that they were preparing the investigation while waiting for the inspection materials on Senior Superintendents Lee and Ryu. It is reported that the delay in submitting the investigation request and inspection materials caused a delay in starting the investigation. Separately from the investigation request and inspection materials, the Special Investigation Headquarters is known to have filed charges against them for dereliction of duty and started the investigation after conducting their own inquiry.

The inspection team has also not submitted inspection materials regarding the Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief and Intelligence Section Chief, who ignored the intelligence report containing safety accident concerns before the Itaewon Halloween festival and ordered the deletion of the report after the tragedy. Previously, the inspection team reportedly conveyed their intention to request an investigation on these individuals to the Special Investigation Headquarters, similar to Senior Superintendent Lee and others. The Special Investigation Headquarters is said to have conducted separate witness investigations on the Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief and Section Chief, applying charges such as abuse of authority and evidence tampering, and converted them into suspects.

The Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief and Section Chief are accused of receiving the report containing safety accident concerns due to crowd concentration during the Halloween period but not forwarding it to higher authorities in order to focus on managing assemblies. They are also accused of leading the deletion of the report after the tragedy and persuading the employees who wrote the report. The Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief said in a phone call with this outlet the previous day, "I will sincerely cooperate with the inspection and investigation."

The inspection team and the Special Investigation Headquarters were formed on the 1st after Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun acknowledged the police's inadequate initial response on the day of the tragedy and promised to uncover the truth. Inside and outside the police, this has been evaluated as a 'two-track' structure to collaborate on allegations of police negligence related to the Itaewon tragedy. However, such discord occurring from the early stages of inspection and investigation is expected to intensify concerns about the police conducting a 'self-investigation,' which has been raised by some quarters. Asia Economy made several attempts to contact the inspection team to ask about the delay in submitting the investigation request and inspection materials but was unable to reach them.

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