Investigation Headquarters for the 'Osong Underpass Disaster' Abruptly Replaced... Seoul Police Agency Takes Over Investigation

Kim Byung-chan, Head of Seoul Police Department's Crime Investigation Unit, Appointed as Chief
40 Crime Investigation Officers and 1 Investigation Team Dispatched

The police have abruptly replaced the investigation headquarters probing the flooding disaster at the Osong underpass in Cheongju, Chungbuk.

On the 19th, the National Police Agency announced that the 'Osong Underpass Disaster Special Investigation Headquarters' will be led by Kim Byung-chan, Chief of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (Senior Superintendent), and that the expanded investigation headquarters will begin operations from the 20th.

The investigation headquarters will include over 40 investigators from the Violent Crime Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit and one investigation team from the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Division.

This replacement of the investigation team appears to stem from concerns that having the Chungbuk Police Agency operate the investigation headquarters responsible for fact-finding and accountability could compromise the fairness of the investigation.

Initially, the Chungbuk Police Agency had formed an 88-member investigation headquarters led by Song Young-ho, Chief of the Investigation Division (Senior Superintendent), on the 17th and had been conducting joint forensic investigations and other inquiries.

However, criticism arose after it was revealed that despite two emergency control and resident evacuation requests at the Gungpyeong underpass at 7:02 a.m. and 7:58 a.m. on the day of the accident, the police had responded to other locations.

The Osong underpass disaster is estimated to have occurred around 8:45 a.m. on the 15th due to the collapse of the Mihocheon Bridge embankment caused by heavy rainfall. At that time, approximately 60,000 tons of river water surged into the nearby underpass, submerging 17 vehicles including city buses, resulting in 14 fatalities.

Kim Byung-chan, head of the investigation headquarters, stated, "We are deeply aware of the gravity of this accident and the stern voices of the public demanding a thorough investigation," adding, "We will conduct the investigation swiftly and rigorously to ensure there is no doubt."

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