The Special Investigation Unit Fired the Starting Signal for the 'Itaewon Disaster Investigation' with All-Out Raids

All Locations with Various Allegations
Summoning of Related Persons After Seizure Analysis
Possibility of Detention Investigation Cannot Be Ruled Out

The Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) of the National Police Agency, investigating the Itaewon tragedy, conducted search and seizure operations at 55 locations, including the National Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Yongsan Police Station, on the 8th. On the morning of the 8th, employees were moving winter gear at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters launched simultaneous raids on 55 locations, including the National Police Agency and Yongsan District Office, on the 8th, which is being analyzed as a signal marking the full-scale investigation into the Itaewon disaster.

On that day, the Special Investigation Headquarters deployed 84 investigators and conducted raids on almost all locations related to various suspicions raised in this disaster. Looking at the institutions involved, it was a large-scale forced investigation targeting four institutions: the police, fire department, Yongsan District Office, and Seoul Metro. It is known that the Special Investigation Headquarters plans to analyze the seized items obtained through these raids to uncover the truth of the disaster as well as to examine the various suspicions raised so far.

Until now, since its formation on the 1st, the Special Investigation Headquarters has focused its investigative efforts on reconstructing the disaster scene. To this end, they analyzed a total of 157 videos, including 57 CCTV footages near the disaster site, 78 SNS videos, and 22 tip-off videos, to observe changes in crowd density by time. They also analyzed geographical risk based on 3D scanner measurements following the first joint forensic examination on the 31st of last month. The second joint forensic examination conducted with the National Forensic Service the day before was a procedure to further specify this work.

However, investigations into various suspicions raised through the media and others were relatively sluggish. On the 2nd, forced investigations were conducted on eight locations, including the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Yongsan Police Station, but it was revealed that the police chief’s office, the station chief’s office, and the mobile phones of suspects related to the suspicions were excluded from the search targets, sparking controversy over the appropriateness of a 'self-investigation.' The Special Investigation Headquarters explained that the application and execution of the search warrants at that time were made before the suspicions were raised, but such controversy did not easily subside.

On the 8th, a National Police Agency Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) official is heading to the district office chief's office carrying seized items at Yongsan District Office in Seoul, where a search related to the Itaewon disaster is underway.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, on this day, as the Special Investigation Headquarters conducted raids on the offices of Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Kim Kwang-ho, who are at the center of the command-level suspicions, and former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae, who arrived late at the disaster scene and delayed reporting to superiors, this controversy is expected to naturally subside. The simultaneous raids on the Yongsan Police Station’s intelligence division chief and intelligence team leader, who allegedly persuaded the deletion of a report predicting a safety accident due to overcrowding on the day of the disaster, add credibility to this view.

Some note that the raids were carried out just one day after President Yoon Seok-yeol strongly reprimanded the police regarding this disaster. It is reported that President Yoon emphasized that the responsibility for this disaster lies with the police in a tense tone during the National Safety System Inspection Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office the previous day. However, considering that the entire process from application to issuance of the warrants requires time, the consensus is that these raids are unrelated to the president’s reprimanding remarks.

Inside and outside the police expect that the investigation into this disaster will intensify starting from these raids. This is because all the key locations at the center of various suspicions raised during the process of uncovering the truth of the disaster were included in the raid targets. The Special Investigation Headquarters plans to analyze the mobile phones of major suspects and witnesses secured that day, documents related to the Halloween festival, related CCTV video files, and computer-stored information, and then summon the related parties for questioning one by one. There is also a possibility that arrests and detention investigations may take place during this process. A Special Investigation Headquarters official said, "We will conduct an investigation without any suspicion and without any sacred cows."

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