Choi Seong-beom, Chief of Yongsan Fire Station, Appears Before Special Investigation Team... "I Will Cooperate with the Investigation for Now"

Choi Seong-beom, Chief of Yongsan Fire Station, is appearing at the Mapo Police Station in Seoul, where the Special Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency is located, on the 21st to undergo suspect questioning. Photo by Oh Gyu-min

[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Gyumin Oh] Choi Seongbeom, chief of Yongsan Fire Station, appeared on the 21st at the Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) investigating the Itaewon disaster as a suspect.

At around 9:40 a.m., Chief Choi appeared at the Mapo Police Station in Seoul, where the Special Investigation Unit is located, and told reporters, "I will cooperate with the investigation for now." He did not answer questions about the exact timing of the Level 2 response order on the day of the disaster or why the police's joint response request was ignored. Chief Choi also remained silent regarding allegations that he did not stay at his assigned post as part of the safety duty team on the day of the accident and entered the building.

The Special Investigation Unit began questioning Chief Choi as a suspect from 10 a.m. According to the unit, Chief Choi is suspected of causing increased casualties due to negligence (professional negligence resulting in death or injury) by not responding to the police's joint response request just before the disaster and failing to take appropriate action immediately after the accident. The unit plans to question him about the response measures taken on the day of the disaster, considering the possibility that Chief Choi failed to properly assess the situation, including ignoring the police's joint response request.

The Special Investigation Unit suspects Chief Choi is responsible for the delayed issuance of the Level 2 response order immediately after the accident, which prevented personnel from nearby fire stations from being deployed quickly. They plan to question him about why the Level 2 response was not promptly ordered despite dozens of people being in cardiac arrest and receiving CPR. They also intend to verify whether the safety duty team adhered to their assigned posts on the day of the accident, based on the "2022 Halloween Day Fire Safety Measures" document prepared by Yongsan Fire Station ahead of Halloween.

Earlier at 9 a.m., the Special Investigation Unit also summoned former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Imjae (Senior Superintendent) as a suspect for questioning. Lee is suspected of delayed response, arriving at the scene 50 minutes after the disaster despite being able to anticipate crowd accidents during Halloween and failing to take prior measures. Upon appearing before the unit, Lee bowed his head and said, "I am truly sorry to the victims and their families."

Chief Choi and former Chief Lee were booked by the Special Investigation Unit on the 6th on charges including professional negligence resulting in death or injury. This investigation is taking place 24 days after the disaster and 16 days after they were designated as suspects. The Special Investigation Unit plans to complete the first round of suspect questioning for the six individuals initially booked during the early stages of the investigation with this session. The case involving former Yongsan Police Intelligence Officer Jeong, who died on the 11th during the investigation, was closed with a "no prosecution" decision.

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