In the investigation conclusions announced on January 13, Korean police said the lack of necessary preparation and untimely response of the authorities officials were the main cause of the terrible stampede in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul on October 29, 2022.
Sohn Je-han, head of the investigation, said local police The local government did not have plans to ensure safety even though the risk of tragedy was very clear when the flow of people flocking to the Itaewon neighborhood skyrocketed.
“Inaccurately judging the situation did not divide Timely information sharing and lack of cooperation between relevant units are the main reasons leading to the large number of casualties in the stampede at Itaewon,” Mr. Sohn said in an interview with the media.
Previously, in December 2022, the Seoul Western District Court of South Korea ordered the arrest of four police officials in the country, including Lee Im-jae, former commander of the Yongsan police station in charge of the Itaewon district; Song Byung-joo head of the crisis management department of Yongsan police station; Park Sung-min is a former intelligence officer and Kim Jin-ho is a former officer at Yongsan police station.
These former police officers are accused of dereliction of duty and failure to fulfill their responsibilities. experienced in the horrifying stampede in Seoul, South Korea. Former police chief Lee is said to have arrived at the scene 50 minutes late and was therefore powerless to make a plan to rescue people in distress.
On the evening of October 29, 2022, the stampede tragedy happened in a narrow, steep alley in the Itaewon district of Seoul, South Korea, killing at least 158 people, including 26 foreigners. The victims were mainly young people between the ages of 20 and 30, part of the crowd of more than 100,000 people who flocked to Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.
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