Jeon Hae-cheol: "Itaewon Disaster Should Not Happen in Developed Countries... Due to Initial Response Failure and Lack of Control Tower"

Jeon Hae-cheol: "Which measures were effective must be revealed going forward"

Jeon Hae-cheol, Chairman of the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee, is speaking at the audit of 12 affiliated organizations including the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 7th, Jeon Hae-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "The 10·29 disaster is an incident that should never happen in an advanced country," adding, "Sufficient measures were necessary and should have been taken regarding whether it was possible to prepare and prevent it in advance."

He said, "There was a failure in the initial response," and added, "After 6:34 p.m. on the day of the disaster, there were several 112 emergency calls mentioning crush injuries. If there had been a response such as police intervention at that time, I believe much of the disaster could have been prevented."

He continued, "Before 6:34 p.m., the measures should have been taken by the police, so rather than lacking manuals or systems in that regard, it seems more accurate to say that the cause of the disaster lies in the actual operational process, the field, and the absence of a control tower in the command headquarters."

Regarding the failure of the disaster safety communication network to operate properly, he said, "It was confirmed that the disaster safety communication network was equipped by each agency, district office, police, and fire department," adding, "Ultimately, the lack of judgment to activate it on site was the issue, and to make good judgments like this, continuous training and frequent practical application are necessary."

He also said, "Although good equipment was established, on site, the police and fire departments failed to recognize the need for cooperation with each other, which was a mistake," and added, "It is true that the preparation of on-site leaders and others was insufficient."

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