Police Commissioner General Lee Yong-wook, Head of Situation Management at the National Police Agency, Placed on Standby During Itaewon Disaster

The view of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The National Police Agency placed Senior Superintendent Lee Yong-wook, who was serving as the Situation Officer at the National Police Agency on the day of the 'Itaewon Disaster,' on standby on the 15th.

The National Police Agency stated, "Senior Superintendent Lee is currently under an internal investigation, making it difficult for him to perform his duties normally. Therefore, Senior Superintendent Bin Joong-seok, head of the Life Safety and Traffic Division at Sejong Police Agency, has been appointed as his successor." It was reported that on the day of the disaster, around 11:18 PM, Senior Superintendent Lee received information about the accident from the National Situation Room but did not immediately report it to the Commissioner of the National Police Agency. The special inspection team of the National Police Agency is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of Lee's reporting on that day.

At the time, Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun, who had fallen asleep after dinner with acquaintances at a camping site in Jecheon, Chungbuk, received a text message about the casualty incident from Senior Superintendent Lee at around 11:32 PM but did not check it. He also missed a phone call 20 minutes later. It is known that Commissioner Yoon finally received a situation report via a phone call with Senior Superintendent Lee at 12:14 AM on the following day, October 30. By then, approximately two hours had already passed since the disaster occurred.

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