Former Yongsan Police Chief's First Special Investigation Ends After 11 Hours... "Responded Sincerely"

Former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae is being summoned on the 21st to the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Former Yongsan Police Chief (Senior Superintendent) Lee Im-jae returned home after being questioned as a suspect for over 11 hours.

The Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit), which is investigating the Itaewon disaster, summoned former Chief Lee for questioning starting at 9 a.m. on the 21st. This was the first summons since the disaster occurred 24 days ago and 16 days after he was booked on charges including professional negligence resulting in death and injury. Although it was widely expected that the investigation would continue until around midnight, it ended earlier than anticipated at approximately 8:20 p.m.

After the questioning, former Chief Lee told reporters, "I responded sincerely and truthfully to the investigation." When asked if he had anything to say to the public, he said, "I am truly sorry, and will remain sorry for the deceased and their families for the rest of my life." Earlier, when appearing before the Special Investigation Unit, he repeatedly bowed his head, saying, "I am sorry as the police chief, and I will live with the heart of a sinner for the rest of my life."

Former Chief Lee is suspected of delayed response, as he failed to take prior measures despite being able to anticipate the crowd accident during the Halloween period, and only arrived at the scene 50 minutes after the disaster occurred. The Special Investigation Unit is known to have questioned him about the reasons for his late arrival at the accident site, the delay in reporting to the police command, and how Halloween preparations were handled.

The Special Investigation Unit is also investigating allegations that former Chief Lee fabricated a situation report stating he arrived at the scene immediately after the disaster, as well as verifying facts related to the request for deployment of the Yongsan Police's riot squad. Previously, former Chief Lee stated at the National Assembly, "I requested the deployment of the riot squad to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency as a safety measure for Halloween, but it was not accepted due to manpower shortages."

The Special Investigation Unit plans to summon and continue questioning key suspects booked this week. Since former Chief Lee's questioning ended relatively early on this day, there is a possibility he will be summoned again in the coming weeks. Including this day, the Special Investigation Unit will analyze the statements of key suspects and decide on the direction of legal actions such as filing arrest warrants.

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