Yongsan Fire Chief Booked, "Undergoing Trauma Treatment... Receiving Many Encouragement Calls"

Seo Jang Choi Seongbeom: "I Can Only Respond Based on Messages from Citizens"
Firefighters: "If Made Scapegoats, We Will Strongly Resist" ... Police: "Investigating Fairly and Strictly"

Choi Seong-beom, Chief of Yongsan Fire Station in Seoul, is giving a briefing at the scene of the Halloween crowd crush accident in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of October 30. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the police have booked Choi Seong-beom, the head of Yongsan Fire Station in Seoul, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, controversy continues. It is known that Chief Choi is receiving psychiatric treatment due to trauma from the Itaewon disaster.

In an interview with Hankyoreh on the 10th, Chief Choi stated, "Since about 4 to 5 days ago, I have been taking medication prescribed for a week after counseling at a psychiatric clinic near Yongsan Fire Station." He added that many other firefighters are also classified as high-risk for trauma and that he is recommending psychiatric visits as medication treatment is necessary.

Regarding the police booking him, he said there has been much encouragement from citizens and added, "I think I can only express my position through the messages citizens are sending me."

The Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) of the National Police Agency, investigating the Itaewon disaster, booked Chief Choi on the 7th on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury and is currently investigating why the fire response stage was not promptly declared at the time of the accident. The A Command Team Leader of the on-site response unit belonging to Yongsan Fire Station has also been booked as a suspect, and the investigation into the fire authorities is ongoing. It is known that Chief Choi and the A Command Team Leader will soon appoint lawyers to respond to the investigation.

The fire authorities and frontline firefighters are strongly opposing this. On the 9th, Lee Il, Director of the 119 Response Bureau of the Fire Agency, emphasized at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing, "Chief Choi was directly and actively involved not only in on-site command but also in management and situation assessment at the time." Additionally, on the 8th, the Seoul Fire Branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union Fire Headquarters issued a statement saying, "If scapegoats are made to give impunity to those responsible for command, we will strongly fight back."

The SIH responded to criticism that booking Chief Choi on charges such as negligence resulting in death and injury is an unfair act by stating, "We are conducting a fair and strict investigation based on evidence and legal principles." Kim Dong-wook, spokesperson for the SIH, emphasized during a briefing on the 9th, "We are conducting a fair and strict investigation based on evidence," and added, "We are also investigating what specific additional charges may be applied." Regarding Chief Choi’s booking, Spokesperson Kim said, "It was based on a comprehensive review of the investigation situation and evidence, including internal documents confirmed through seizure and search, bodycam footage from the scene, and fire radio recordings," and added, "Investigations are also underway concerning the declaration of fire response stages."