'Poor Response to Disaster' Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor, to Undergo Warrant Hearing Today

Charge of Involuntary Manslaughter Due to Negligence
District Office Disaster Safety Department Head Also Under Review

Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young is appearing on the 18th at the Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) for the Itaewon accident in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to be investigated as a suspect.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] The decision on whether to detain Park Heeyoung, Yongsan District Mayor, and Choi Wonjun, Head of the Safety and Disaster Department of Yongsan District Office, who are accused of inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster, is expected to be made on the 26th.

Kim Yumi, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Western District Court, will conduct the pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant substantive examination) for them at 2 p.m. on the same day.

Earlier, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office requested arrest warrants for Mayor Park and Head Choi on charges including professional negligence resulting in death or injury, following an application from the police special investigation headquarters (Special Investigation Headquarters) investigating the Itaewon disaster on the 20th.

The substantive examination for the two was originally scheduled for the 23rd but was postponed to the 26th after Mayor Park tested positive for COVID-19.

Mayor Park is accused of negligence in preparing safety accident prevention measures during the Halloween period and inappropriate response to the disaster (professional negligence resulting in death or injury).

The warrant also cites circumstances of attempted evidence destruction, such as replacing his mobile phone before the investigation. Although destroying evidence related to one's own criminal charges is not subject to criminal punishment, it can be considered as grounds for detention.

Head Choi is accused of causing the disaster due to inadequate prior measures as the responsible official of the department in charge of Halloween safety measures, and of exacerbating casualties due to insufficient post-disaster response (professional negligence resulting in death or injury).

He is also charged with dereliction of duty for failing to take necessary measures to manage the disaster situation after the incident. It was found that on the night of the disaster, he was drinking with acquaintances, recognized the occurrence of the disaster but did not go to the scene and instead went home to sleep.

The Special Investigation Headquarters considers the charges against the local government, which has primary responsibility for disaster preparedness and relief under the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act (Disaster Safety Act), to be more serious than those against the police.

Previously, on the 23rd, the Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Imjae, stating, "There is substantial reason to believe the suspects committed the crime, and there is a concern that the suspects may destroy evidence."

Since the police, who support local governments in disaster preparedness and relief, are also somewhat held responsible for professional negligence resulting in death or injury, the Special Investigation Headquarters expects that arrest warrants for Yongsan District Office executives will also be issued.

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