South Korea: Deadly mass panic in Seoul: 23 officials face charges

South Korea
Deadly mass panic in Seoul: 23 officials face charges

A man bows in memory of the victims of a deadly stampede following Halloween celebrations in Seoul. photo

© Ahn Young-Joon/AP/dpa/Archive

The accident, in which almost 160 people died, caused horror. The accusations against the authorities that they did not do enough are getting louder. The public prosecutor’s office is now taking over the investigation.

Two and a half months ago, a deadly stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea, caused widespread horror – now nearly two dozen officers face involuntary manslaughter and other charges. The disaster in the Itaewon entertainment district in the capital at the end of October killed almost 160 people.

The case had been handed over to the public prosecutor for further investigation, a special police team said on Friday after weeks of investigation. A lack of safety precautions and other omissions contributed to the high number of victims.

Misjudgment and delayed action

“A misjudgment of the situation, a delay in forwarding information, a lack of cooperation between the relevant authorities and delayed rescue measures all came together,” said team leader Son Je Han in Seoul. That led to the many deaths of the “man-made catastrophe”.

The tragedy happened as tens of thousands of people in Itaewon crowded together for unorganized Halloween parties. In the crowd in a narrow, sloping side street, numerous people fell to the ground, suffocated, were crushed or kicked to death. The Ministry of the Interior announced in early January that a young person who survived the accident and later took his own life was officially counted among the fatalities.

allegations against the authorities

Shortly after the tragedy, the authorities were accused of not having done enough to prevent the disaster. Of the total of 23 people against whom the public prosecutor’s office is to investigate, 6 are already in custody. They include head of the affected Yongsan district, Park Hee Young, and former district police station chief, Lee Im Jae.

The police team said Interior Minister Lee Sang Min, Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon and Police Chief Yoon Hee Keun could not be held responsible for the tragedy. The opposition and the families of the victims had called for investigations into high-ranking officials and for the interior minister to be fired.

dpa

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