Police Unable to Touch a Single Hair of the Ministry of the Interior... Legal Review Stagnates Two Weeks After the Disaster

No Summons for Ministry of the Interior Officials
Contrasting with Police and Fire Department Field Investigations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Byungdon Yoo and Seongpil Jo] The Police Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation HQ), investigating the Itaewon disaster, has faced criticism for delayed and lenient investigations as it remains stuck in the legal review stage regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) for the second week. As the Special Investigation HQ’s probe slows down, firefighters have taken the step of filing a complaint against Minister Lee Sang-min of MOIS.

As of the 15th, the Special Investigation HQ has not conducted any compulsory investigations against Minister Lee or the MOIS. They have not summoned any MOIS officials as witnesses for questioning either. The HQ only stated that it is reviewing relevant laws, such as the Government Organization Act and the MOIS Minister’s supervisory regulations over affiliated agencies, to determine whether the MOIS Minister has command and supervisory authority over the police’s response. They also added that they are similarly conducting legal reviews concerning the MOIS Police Bureau.

This contrasts with the plan to summon seven suspects among police and firefighting personnel soon. The Special Investigation HQ is expected to begin summons and investigations as early as this week, starting with the former head of the intelligence division at Yongsan Police Station, who is suspected of ordering the deletion of intelligence reports immediately after the disaster, followed by the suspended head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Intelligence Department, former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae, and Ryu Mi-jin, the then 112 Situation Manager at the Seoul Police Agency. Prior to this, on the 14th, the Special Investigation HQ summoned intelligence division staff at Yongsan Police Station as witnesses regarding the so-called ‘report deletion suspicion.’ On the same day, they also summoned staff from the Yongsan Police Station Situation Room, Yongsan District Office, and Yongsan Fire Station for questioning.

However, the Special Investigation HQ continues to insist on starting with legal reviews specifically concerning the MOIS and the Police Bureau. While humbly accepting criticism that it is shifting responsibility onto lower-level personnel, the HQ claims it is focusing on witness investigations to ascertain the facts regarding each agency’s planning, on-site response, and reporting in order to identify the causes and responsibilities of the accident.

Given this situation, firefighters have directly filed a complaint against Minister Lee for dereliction of duty and professional negligence resulting in death and injury with the Special Investigation HQ. The Firefighters’ Union argues, “Those who failed to take essential preventive measures are the MOIS Minister and higher-ups, so holding them accountable is necessary for an accurate investigation of the disaster.” Previously, the union had protested the Special Investigation HQ’s decision to list Yongsan Fire Station Chief Choi Seong-beom as a suspect, calling it ‘scapegoating.’

Minister Lee has also been reported to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). On the 1st, the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens’ Action (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint with the CIO against Minister Lee, Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and Yongsan District Chief Park Hee-young for dereliction of duty. The case has been assigned to the third investigation division.

Despite growing calls for investigations into the minister and MOIS, the Special Investigation HQ remains lukewarm about launching a full-scale probe. The HQ explained, “Even if dereliction of duty charges are applied to Minister Lee, this falls under ‘high-ranking official crimes’ according to the CIO Act,” adding, “If the CIO decides to investigate, the case must be transferred to them.”

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