The intelligence officer is being investigated for allegedly ordering the removal of a warning about the Halloween night crowd.
A Korean police official targeted for investigation follow 156 people died On a Halloween night, the delighted mob in downtown Seoul was found dead at his home in the capital.
The 55-year-old official, identified only by his surname Jeong, is in charge of intelligence affairs at the Yongsan Police Station, which includes the city’s Itaewon entertainment district. where the tragedy took place on October 29.
He was found dead by a family member at his home in Seoul around 12:45 p.m. local time (03:45 GMT) local time, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported, citing officials. anonymous police officer.
Yongsan Police Station, a fire station and local government offices were raided by investigators as part of the investigation failures of officials in the Itaewon area to respond effectively There were reports of overcrowding on the night of the tragedy, which also left about 200 people injured.
At least 100,000 people have flocked to the Itaewon area to celebrate the first Halloween party after the pandemic, and neither the local government nor the police have planned measures for such a large crowd.
“Jeong has faced suspicions that after the tragedy, he ordered the deletion of an internal intelligence report that gave advance warnings of a possible safety accident during Halloween in a suspected attempt to cover up the bogus action,” Yonhap reported.
“The charges against him include abuse of authority, destruction of evidence, and professional negligence leading to death,” the news agency reported, adding that the officer was suspended from duty today. Wednesday.
Several top officials including the police chief, the mayor of Seoul and the interior minister issued public apologies, admitted they had failed to avert the deadly disaster.
Public anger has increased Following the announcement earlier this month of emergency calls sent to police indicating that in the four hours before the deadly crowd, police had received 11 reports of dangerous crowding in the Itaewon area.
The police “Code 0” warning – asking for the fastest possible response – was issued for one of 11 reports of overcrowding, while the second highest “Code 1” alert was applied. for another seven calls.
Police responded to four of the 11 reports by deploying officers to locations to disperse crowds. After disbanding, officers returned to other duties and no action was taken in the event of the remaining seven emergency calls, local media reported.
In Monday. South Korean lawmakers made the decision to cast doubt on documents related to the tragedy at a parliamentary session and urge the arrest and punishment of those involved.
South Korea’s National Police Commissioner, Senior Lieutenant General Yoon Hee-keun said that a police chief at Yongsan station ordered the deletion of records from the night of the tragedy and he would be investigated.
