Special Investigation Unit Begins Probe into Administrative Authorities of Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Seoul City over Disaster Administration

First Witness Investigation of Related Officials
Some Criticize It as 'Token Gesture'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Byungdon Yoo] The Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation HQ) has launched an investigation into the 'hypocrisy' regarding responsibility related to the Itaewon tragedy, involving the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. However, since no forced investigations or key figures such as Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min have yet been named as suspects, there are concurrent criticisms that the investigation is merely for show.

On the 16th, during a briefing held at the Mapo Police Station in Seoul, the Special Investigation HQ stated, "We have investigated public officials belonging to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government as witnesses to confirm the process of information dissemination at the time of the accident." This is the first time since the Special Investigation HQ was launched on the 1st of this month that it has conducted investigations targeting the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Until now, the Special Investigation HQ has conducted forced investigations such as raids on basic local governments like Yongsan District Office, but investigations into higher administrative levels such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety have been virtually nonexistent, leading to criticism from some quarters that the investigation is a 'scapegoating' effort.

Earlier, after holding its first briefing with the media on the 4th, the Special Investigation HQ has publicly disclosed all investigation schedules including raids and witness and suspect interrogations. However, the witness investigations of employees belonging to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which began from the second week of this month, have been strictly kept confidential. Regarding this, a Special Investigation HQ official explained, "The investigations were conducted non-publicly due to investigative necessity."

So far, the Special Investigation HQ has focused its investigations on Yongsan District Office, police, fire departments, and other on-site public officials. Witness investigations have also been centered on employees of these institutions, and the first suspect summoned yesterday was Kim, a former intelligence chief at Yongsan Police Station, who was a police officer. Meanwhile, political circles and others have raised concerns that investigations into the Ministry of the Interior and Safety based on the Disaster and Safety Act and other laws have been sluggish.

In response to such criticism, the Special Investigation HQ has repeatedly emphasized, "We plan to confirm the facts and then determine specific legal responsibilities applicable to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government." This is interpreted as an intention to proceed step-by-step based on provisions of the Disaster and Safety Act and the Government Organization Act. However, contrary to these statements, suspicions of a 'token investigation' have arisen as the Special Investigation HQ began summoning employees related to safety measures at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety from the 14th and investigated the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room of the Ministry as a witness yesterday afternoon.

However, if the Special Investigation HQ determines, based on witness investigations and legal reviews, that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety bears responsibility for this tragedy, Minister Lee Sang-min, as the head of the ministry, is highly likely to be booked on charges such as dereliction of duty. But since Minister Lee is a high-ranking official under the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Act (High-ranking Officials Crime Investigation Act), the charges will first be reported to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). If the CIO requests the case to be transferred, the Special Investigation HQ must hand over investigative authority to the CIO.

Yesterday afternoon, the Special Investigation HQ summoned the head of the Safety General Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a witness and reportedly questioned whether the Seoul Metropolitan Government properly took safety accident measures before and after the tragedy. A Special Investigation HQ official avoided giving a direct answer regarding the possibility of forced investigations into the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government on that day. However, inside and outside the police expect that raids on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will be conducted soon.

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