'Rejection of Seoul Cheong Situation Room CCTV Evidence Preservation Application for the Itaewon Disaster'

"Seoul Cheong Situation Room CCTV Not Installed" Dismissed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy victims requested the court to preserve CCTV footage from inside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency 112 Situation Room on the day of the disaster as evidence, but the request was denied.

According to the legal community on the 19th, Judge Song Hyeyoung of the Civil Division 56-5 at the Seoul Central District Court recently partially accepted the evidence preservation request filed by 30 bereaved family members of 17 victims against the Minister of Justice and others.

Evidence preservation is a procedure to investigate evidence in advance before the main lawsuit. It is intended to prepare for situations where it may become difficult to use the evidence later.

The bereaved families applied to the court to preserve CCTV footage showing the inside of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room on the day of the disaster to hold police officers accountable, but the court dismissed the request, stating that no CCTV was installed in the situation room.

However, the court accepted some evidence such as documents reported by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters at the time of the disaster.

Earlier, on the 18th of last month, the bereaved families applied to the Seoul Central District Court, Seoul Western District Court, and Daejeon District Court to preserve evidence related to the disaster held by nine institutions including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Police Agency, and the Itaewon Police Substation.

On the 30th of last month, the Daejeon District Court accepted the bereaved families' evidence preservation request regarding work logs, situation reports, and video recordings from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room.

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