Special Investigation Unit's First Test... Arrest Warrants for Former Seoul Police Intelligence Chief and Others (Comprehensive)

Four Police Executives Face Detention Decision
Including Former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae
If Granted, Investigation into Higher-Ups Expected to Accelerate
If Denied, Investigation Momentum Likely to Decline Significantly

Sungmin Park, former head of the Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. / Photo by Gyumin Oh

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) of the National Police Agency, investigating the Itaewon disaster, applied for pre-arrest warrants on the 1st for four police officers, including former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Public Safety Intelligence Foreign Affairs Division Chief (Senior Superintendent) Park Seong-min. Whether the warrants will be issued is expected to be the first measure to gauge the performance of the SIH's investigation over the past month.

On the same day, the SIH announced that it had applied for arrest warrants for Senior Superintendent Park, former Yongsan Police Station Chief (Chief Superintendent) Lee Im-jae, former Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief Superintendent Kim, and former Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room Chief Superintendent Song. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office immediately filed the warrants with the court, the SIH added. The charges specified in the warrants are obstruction of evidence destruction for Senior Superintendent Park and Superintendent Kim, and professional negligence resulting in death or injury for former Chief Lee and Superintendent Song.

According to the SIH, Senior Superintendent Park is suspected of ordering the deletion of a risk analysis information report prepared during the Halloween period in a chatroom where intelligence division chiefs from frontline Seoul police stations gathered after the disaster. The report titled "Public Safety Risk Analysis of Itaewon Halloween Festival" reportedly included phrases such as "pedestrians entering the road due to large crowds, traffic inconvenience reports, and concerns about traffic accidents." The SIH believes that former Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief Superintendent Kim effectively persuaded staff to delete the report under Park's orders.

Former Chief Lee is accused of failing to take preemptive measures despite the clear expectation of large crowds during Halloween and arriving late at the scene, resulting in delayed response. He previously testified on the 16th of the same month at the National Assembly regarding the request for riot police and the timing of recognizing the disaster, but the SIH places weight on the possibility that his testimony was false. The SIH plans to add perjury charges under the National Assembly Testimony and Inspection Act if the Assembly files a complaint.

Superintendent Song is accused of failing to properly command police response at the scene in the early stages of the disaster, which increased casualties. There is also suspicion that he fabricated a situation report stating that former Chief Lee arrived at the scene around 10:20 p.m. immediately after the disaster. In previous investigations, the SIH asked Superintendent Song whether former Chief Lee had ordered a riot police request four days before the disaster, but Song reportedly testified that he did not receive such an order.

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

The SIH is known to have consistently consulted with the prosecution during the investigation process in preparation for applying for arrest warrants for key suspects. The fact that the prosecution immediately filed the warrants with the court on the day the SIH applied is also seen as possible due to prior consultation. Although the schedule for the pre-arrest suspect interrogation for the four, including Senior Superintendent Park, has not yet been set, it is widely expected within and outside the police that it will be held the next day.

If the court issues the arrest warrants in the future, the SIH investigation is expected to accelerate. Especially since the SIH announced its intention to summon Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Kim Gwang-ho as soon as possible, the investigation into higher-ups is likely to gain momentum. On the other hand, if the warrants are dismissed, the investigation's momentum will significantly decline. Failing to secure the custody of key suspects will make non-custodial investigations inevitable, which will slow the process considerably due to the need to coordinate additional investigation schedules each time. Investigations into Chief Kim, as well as the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will inevitably be delayed.

From the SIH's perspective, even if the warrants are issued, they cannot be complacent. If suspects file for a detention review, a fierce legal battle is inevitable. Half of the suspects for whom warrants were requested on this day face charges of professional negligence resulting in death or injury, where intent or willfulness is a key factor. If the suspects build a defense arguing that although their judgment during the disaster was mistaken, they did not neglect their duties without justifiable reason, the investigative authorities are expected to face difficulties in proving the charges.

An SIH official said, "We are also reviewing whether to apply for arrest warrants for key suspects from other agencies." Inside and outside the police expect that arrest warrants for Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young and Yongsan Fire Station Chief Choi Seong-beom will be applied for soon.

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