"Yongsan Fire Station Chief Absent from Rescue Command for 38 Minutes After Arriving On Scene"

Identified as Major Cause of Damage Spread
Police Initiate Rescue Operations First
Special Investigation Unit Reviewing Arrest Warrant Application

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho and Byungseon Gong] The Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) of the National Police Agency, investigating the Itaewon disaster, has tentatively concluded that Choi Seongbeom, the head of Yongsan Fire Station and the person in charge of the firefighting site, did not effectively command rescue operations during the golden time of 38 minutes after the accident, when casualties could have been reduced.

On the 22nd, the SIH held a briefing at the Mapo Police Station in Seoul and stated, "We have determined that Chief Choi’s inadequate rescue command was a key factor in the expansion of the damage," adding, "From the time he arrived at the scene at 10:30 PM until he declared command at 11:08 PM, he reportedly took no significant action."

On the day of the disaster, before Chief Choi declared command, the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters’ situation report already recorded that over 100 casualties had occurred. It was also reported that this information was shared within the internal firefighting group KakaoTalk chatroom. An SIH official said, "The situation was much more serious even before the command declaration, but Chief Choi did not issue any response level orders according to regulations," and added, "If appropriate level orders and rescue command had been issued, many lives could have been saved."

The SIH estimates that around 11:22 PM, approximately 70 minutes after the disaster occurred at 10:15 PM, police and firefighting authorities had rescued all the people who were trapped and crowded together. An SIH official explained, "CCTV footage shows that the police first arrived near the alleyway around 10:18 PM and tried to extract the trapped people but were unsuccessful. Around 10:27 PM, they moved to the back of the alley to control the crowd and carry out the rescue. The firefighters arrived later at the back of the alley and conducted rescue operations."

The SIH is investigating Chief Choi on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, concluding that his failure to respond quickly and appropriately before and after the disaster ultimately increased the number of casualties. According to the SIH, Chief Choi instructed the on-site command team leader to issue Firefighting Response Level 1 at 10:43 PM, 28 minutes after the disaster, and declared command at 11:08 PM.

The SIH believes that the delayed issuance of Response Level 2 immediately after the accident prevented nearby fire stations from deploying personnel quickly. However, Chief Choi reportedly explained in earlier investigations that he was unable to issue Levels 2 and 3 because he was focused on on-site rescue activities. The SIH finds this explanation unreliable and is conducting supplementary investigations to request an arrest warrant.

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