Seoul Police Chief: "Drug Crimes Concentrated in Itaewon... Unrelated to Riot Police Deployment"

Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, is attending an emergency briefing on the Itaewon tragedy held at the National Assembly on the 7th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Kim Gwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, announced on the 7th that he focused on preventing drug crimes in the Itaewon area over the weekend ahead of Halloween.

On the same day, during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, when Assemblyman Cheon Jun-ho of the Democratic Party asked, "Since even the President declared a war on drugs, did you set aside other duties to focus solely on drug crimes?" Kim responded with this intention. He added, "The Seoul Police Agency started a special crackdown on drugs in July, and during the national audit, the assembly members urged us to establish special measures and pay particular attention to drugs. In that context, it is true that we had a deep awareness that drugs should not become an issue during this Halloween."

According to Assemblyman Cheon, the Yongsan Police Station initially planned to deploy 15 detectives in 3 teams to prevent and crack down on drug crimes, but under Commissioner Kim's orders, 50 detectives in 10 teams were deployed. The detective personnel assigned to the Itaewon area were dispatched to the scene for safety management only 29 minutes after the disaster occurred. Regarding the delayed report, Commissioner Kim explained, "I first became aware of the incident at 11:36 p.m. on the day of the disaster, took a taxi to Hangangjin Station, and then moved to Itaewon. While in the taxi, I instructed the Chief of Security, the Head of the Mobile Unit, and the 112 Situation Room Chief at the Seoul Police Agency to mobilize a large police force."

Commissioner Kim also responded affirmatively to Assemblyman Song Jae-ho of the Democratic Party's question, stating, "It is true that we focused on drug crimes." However, when asked if the mobile unit was not dispatched due to concerns about negatively impacting drug investigations, he denied it, saying, "Absolutely not." He explained, "When we initially established measures related to Halloween, we anticipated a large crowd due to the lifting of COVID-19 social distancing, so we deployed 137 personnel, more than in previous years. At the time of planning, I asked the Chief of Security at the Seoul Police Agency if there was any spare mobile unit personnel, but was told it would be difficult due to weekend rallies, so I instructed to proceed with deploying 137 personnel."

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