Kim Gwang-ho, Seoul Cheong Chief, "Actively Cooperating with Investigation... Will Act According to Results"

Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, addressed the controversy over responsibility and his position arising from the inadequate initial response to the Itaewon disaster on the 7th, stating, "I will actively cooperate with the ongoing inspection and investigation by the National Police Agency and act accordingly based on the results."

Through a written briefing held that day, Commissioner Kim expressed, "I deeply acknowledge the responsibility for the insufficient response by the Seoul police regarding this incident." He also conveyed, "I apologize to my fellow officers who did their best despite the difficult conditions at the scene," and added, "I pray for the souls of those who passed away in the accident in Itaewon and once again extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families."

Earlier, it was revealed that Commissioner Kim recognized the situation late due to a blind spot in reporting on the day of the disaster. According to the National Police Agency, he left work around 8:36 PM after the urban rallies had concluded. At the time Commissioner Kim was leaving, the Seoul Metropolitan Police 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room received at least eight urgent calls reporting "there are too many people in Itaewon and it seems like a crush will occur." While at home, he missed three calls from Lee Im-jae, then Chief of Yongsan Police Station, around 11:34 PM, but a phone conversation took place two minutes later, confirming that he first became aware of the disaster then.

Some have raised concerns that the large-scale progressive and conservative rallies on the day of the disaster mobilized many officers, possibly leading to inadequate preparation for casualties. In response, Commissioner Kim stated that day, "It was not due to a lack of officers because of rally preparations that we failed to deploy personnel," and added, "I deeply regret that we did not recognize the severity of the situation immediately after receiving the 112 reports and thus could not take prompt action."

Before the disaster, the Yongsan Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Itaewon, reportedly submitted several reports expressing concerns about safety accidents, but these were not conveyed to higher authorities. Commissioner Kim explained, "The Yongsan Station Intelligence Division believed that the same content was reflected in their comprehensive security measures, so they did not take separate action," and added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Police officials who reviewed the documents judged the report's contents to be within generally expected levels and did not take any additional measures."

When asked whether he had received reports from Yongsan Station regarding preparations for the Halloween festival, Commissioner Kim replied, "I have received reports on the analysis of security conditions and response plans for Halloween Day in major event areas including not only Itaewon but also Hongdae and Gangnam." Regarding why no countermeasures were established despite this, he said, "The personnel did not anticipate that an accident would occur," and explained, "They did not accurately recognize the situation on the ground and therefore did not decide to deploy a large number of personnel."

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