Prosecutors Indict Two Itaewon Police Station Team Leaders for Poor Response to Itaewon Disaster

The Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Jeong-hoon) announced on the 22nd that it has indicted without detention two patrol team leaders who were working at the Itaewon Police Substation at the time for inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster.

Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office

According to the prosecution, Sergeant A and Inspector B, who were patrol team leaders at the Itaewon Police Substation, are charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury for failing to properly respond to a 112 emergency call around 6:34 p.m. on October 29, 2022, which mentioned the risk of crushing, thereby exacerbating the damage. The prosecution found that Sergeant A received one call and Inspector B received ten calls but did not respond appropriately. Additionally, Sergeant A is also charged with falsifying electronic records, as he allegedly entered false information into the 112 system indicating that he had dispatched to the scene on the day of the disaster and on the 31st of the same month.

With this, the prosecution has either indicted or dismissed charges against all those involved in the disaster. There are a total of 23 defendants facing trial related to the Itaewon disaster, including two corporations, Hamilton Tourism and another, which operate the Hamilton Hotel.

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