Special Investigation Unit summons Seoul Police Department Security Chief... Verifying facts regarding Riot Police request

Itaewon Station Manager Undergoes Intensive Investigation for Consecutive Days
Yongsan District Office Construction and Transportation Director Also Summoned

The signboard of the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit), which is investigating the inadequate response to the 'Itaewon Disaster,' is hung at the entrance of the Mapo Police Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation HQ), investigating the Itaewon disaster, is questioning Yoon Si-seung, Chief of Security at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (Senior Superintendent), as a witness on the 1st.

The Special Investigation HQ summoned Chief Yoon to the Special Investigation HQ interrogation room at the Mapo Office of the Seoul Police Agency from 9:30 a.m. to ascertain the facts regarding the Yongsan Police Station's riot police request during the Halloween period. Previously, after filing charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury against former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae on the 6th of last month, the Special Investigation HQ has been conducting investigations into the related allegations.

The controversy over the authenticity of the riot police request between the Seoul Police Agency and Yongsan Police Station arose when former Chief Lee claimed at the National Assembly on the 16th of last month that "a request was made to the Seoul Police Agency for riot police deployment before the disaster, but it was rejected due to manpower shortages." However, the Special Investigation HQ reportedly has not found any evidence supporting the riot police request in investigations involving staff from both the Seoul Police Agency and Yongsan Police Station. After confirming the facts surrounding the riot police request, the Special Investigation HQ plans to determine who should be held responsible for the inadequate prior preparations.

Separately from the Yongsan Police Station's riot police request, the Special Investigation HQ also confirmed that during internal discussions on Halloween response measures, Seoul Police Agency Commissioner Kim Kwang-ho and Chief Yoon had a phone call regarding the difficulty of deploying riot police in the Itaewon area due to issues related to crowd and protest security. Many have pointed out that if riot police had been pre-deployed at the scene during the disaster, the damage could have been reduced. The Special Investigation HQ intends to verify the details of this matter with Chief Yoon.

On the same day, the Special Investigation HQ is also summoning the Itaewon Station Manager for a second consecutive day of questioning. He is accused of professional negligence resulting in death and injury for failing to implement a no-stop passage despite the crowd congestion, which contributed to the disaster. The Special Investigation HQ is confirming with the station manager whether the police requested a no-stop passage. Additionally, from the afternoon, the Special Investigation HQ plans to summon the Director of the Safety, Construction, and Transportation Bureau of Yongsan District Office as a suspect for questioning.

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