More than 150 people had been killed on October 29, in a jostling on the sidelines of the Halloween party.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
The murderous jostling that left more than 150 dead in Seoul during the Halloween party on October 29, is due to negligence and preparation defects, concluded the investigation of the investigation on Friday, January 13 South Korean police. The victims of this drama that occurred in the Itaewon district, known for his nightlife, were mostly young costumed Koreans including many women in his twenties.
The special team in charge of the investigation, which spent months gathering evidence and questioning the authorities concerned, concluded that there had been enormous failures, both at the level of the organization What a reaction on the ground.
“Organizations which are legally required to prevent and manage disasters (the police, the offices of the Seoul districts and the public company Seoul Metro) have taken no safety measure in advance or their plans were insufficient, “the team leader told the press, Sohn Jae-Han.
“No appropriate measure was taken even after receiving emergency calls” on the day of the disaster, he insisted, adding that the lack of cooperation between the competent authorities and the slowness of communication had contributed to weighing down the balance sheet.
Six people arrested
Six people were arrested as part of this investigation, including Lee Im-Jae, the former police commissioner of Yongsan who covers the Itaewon district, and Park Hee-Young, the chief of the District of Yongsan. Both are in detention for professional negligence which led to the death of others.
In December, a teenager who survived the drama was found dead, he seems to have committed suicide. The authorities have decided to count him as a victim of the disaster, taking stock of 159 people.
The team of investigators, however, was careful not to appoint officials in the government or the police, arguing that it was “difficult to conclude a breach of duty”.
The Minister of the Interior was strongly criticized following the tragedy, some calling for his resignation after he said that the mobilization of more firefighters and police would not have prevented the drama. He has since apologized on numerous occasions, notably with the families of the victims last week, but did not present his resignation.
The rapid transformation of South Korea, of a poor nation torn by the war in the leading economy with global cultural influence, remains a national pride. But a series of disasters that could have been avoided, such as Itaewon drama and the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014, in which 304 people died, shaken the confidence of Koreans in the authorities.