Fire Agency: "On the day of the Itaewon disaster, Yongsan Fire Station Chief actively involved in on-site command and management"

"Response Level 2 Declared by Yongsan Fire Station Chief, Level 3 by Seoul Fire Disaster Headquarters Chief"
Fire Agency: "We Do Not Automatically Dispatch Just Because Police Request Joint Response"

On the 7th, citizens are paying tribute to the victims at the joint memorial altar for the Itaewon disaster victims set up at Noksapyeong Station Plaza in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Regarding the indictment of Choi Seong-beom, the Yongsan Fire Station Chief who commanded the scene during the Itaewon disaster, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, the fire authorities stated that Chief Choi was actively involved in the situation at the scene.

On the 9th, Lee Il, Director of the 119 Response Bureau at the National Fire Agency, explained at a briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), "Chief Choi was acting at the Itaewon Police Substation located 200 meters from the scene, and not only was he aware and commanded during the dispatch, but he was also actively involved in management and situation assessment."

Regarding the failure to respond to police requests at 8:37 PM and 9:01 PM on the day of the Itaewon disaster, the 29th of last month, he said, "It is not always the case that we dispatch immediately upon a joint response request," adding, "We judged that dispatch was not necessary and thus closed the case." He further added, "The judgment was made by the situation room that received the report, and the Yongsan Fire Station Chief likely was not aware."

The Police Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters is reportedly investigating the circumstances under which Chief Choi did not promptly issue the fire response level. The fire authorities activated Response Level 2 one hour after the report of the crush accident, and after another 30 minutes, Level 2 was issued again. Response Level 3 was only issued at 11:48 PM. Director Lee stated, "Level 2 was issued by the Yongsan Fire Station Chief, and Level 3 was issued by the Seoul Fire Disaster Headquarters Chief."

Questions regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s responsibility also followed. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety was excluded from the police search and seizure targets. Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (General Coordinator of CDSCH Headquarters 1), responded to questions about whether the ministry responded inappropriately to this disaster by saying, "There was a part where rapid reporting was delayed because a formal response stage was maintained during internal communication, but we will work to improve those aspects."

On the 9th, at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office, Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters), held a briefing after concluding the Central Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the Itaewon incident.
[Image source=Yonhap News]