[Exclusive] Police's False Explanation "No Precedent for Riot Police Deployment on Halloween"... On-site Says "Riot Police Deployed Every Year"

'Deployed with Support from Gyogidae and Gidongdae... Crime Prevention Patrol Unit Also Performs "Patrol Duties"
Inside Police: "No Understanding of the Distinction Between Gyogidae and Gidongdae... Covering the Sky with the Palm"'

During the national mourning period following the Itaewon tragedy, chrysanthemums were placed near the Itaewon tragedy site in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Contrary to the National Police Agency's official stance that "there has never been a precedent of deploying riot police at the Itaewon Halloween festival site," it has been revealed that the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul has deployed the Traffic Riot Police Unit (Gyogidae) or general riot police to Itaewon streets every year during the Itaewon Halloween Day festival, confirming that the National Police Agency essentially made a "false explanation."

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 4th, except for 2020-2021 when gathering bans were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yongsan Police Station, which manages the Itaewon Halloween Day event, has deployed the Traffic Riot Police Unit, general riot police, or Crime Prevention Patrol Unit (Bangsundae) every year on Halloween Day.

In the past, Yongsan Police Station received support of about one platoon of riot police, approximately 30 personnel, every Halloween Day and deployed them in a single line on one lower lane of both the inbound and outbound sides of the four-lane road between Itaewon Station and Noksapyeong Station on Subway Line 6, preparing for potential congestion situations where crowds might spill onto the road.

Additionally, Yongsan Police Station received support from its own Crime Prevention Patrol Unit or one unit from other police stations' Crime Prevention Patrol Units, organizing officers into teams of four or six to patrol areas with concentrated crowds. Typically, for frontline police stations to mobilize riot police or Crime Prevention Patrol Units for assemblies or events, they must send official documents requesting cooperation to the Security Department of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the higher authority managing police personnel.

Since the Security Department manages units integrally, Yongsan Police Station has effectively received police personnel support every year to manage the crowds gathered on Halloween Day. To this end, Yongsan Police Station reportedly requested personnel support annually through the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Community Safety Department to the Security Department.

A current police officer who managed the Itaewon Halloween event said, "We received support from the Traffic Riot Police Unit or general riot police and deployed them," adding, "They managed vehicle parking violations and controlled crowds spilling onto the roads, so traffic management and congestion control were conducted simultaneously."

However, the police issued an official statement saying, "There is no precedent of deploying riot police during Halloween Day periods to manage congestion or crowd control due to large gatherings, and Yongsan Police Station has prepared for the event with its 'own police personnel.'"

Ultimately, no riot police support was provided for this year's Halloween Day event, and only around 9:30 p.m., when emergency rescue calls surged, were about 20 Traffic Riot Police officers deployed. Approximately an hour after the disaster was officially confirmed (at 10:15 p.m.), strike teams stationed at Gwanghwamun and Yeouido, units at Seocho-dong, and conscripted police units were sequentially dispatched to the scene belatedly.

Claims between the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Yongsan Police Station also conflict regarding whether a request for riot police support was made. Yongsan Police Station claims it requested riot police support from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, while the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency counters that only the Traffic Riot Police Unit was officially requested and that there was no demand for riot police deployment.

Within the police, criticism is emerging that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's attempt to distinguish between the Traffic Riot Police Unit and riot police is akin to "covering the sky with one's palm." It is pointed out that unless the task involves manipulating traffic signals to prevent congestion, the Traffic Riot Police Unit controlling crowds itself constitutes managing congestion situations.

A police officer with riot police experience explained, "When tens of thousands gather in the city for a rally and protesters march on the road, the riot police line up between vehicles and protesters to control those who deviate from the procession, but this is not called traffic management," adding, "The orders for mobilizing personnel for events or rallies explicitly state 'congestion situation management' as the unit's task. The work performed on-site is the same, so I don't understand why they try to distinguish between the Traffic Riot Police Unit and riot police."

Meanwhile, a National Police Agency official rebutted, "According to documents, personnel were deployed in the past for the purpose of preventing traffic accidents," and added, "Crowd management from the police perspective involves preparing for injuries caused by collisions among large numbers of people or managing pedestrian flow such as one-way walking."

He continued, "An internal investigation is underway regarding this," and said, "Isn't the National Police Agency's statement more credible than that of the officers who were on-site?"