Park Sung-min, former head of the Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (Senior Superintendent), is appearing at the Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit) of the National Police Agency investigating the Itaewon disaster on the 24th to undergo suspect questioning. Photo by Oh Gyu-min
[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Gyumin Oh] Park Seongmin, former Public Safety Information Foreign Affairs Division Chief (Police Commissioner) of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who is implicated in the suspicion of deleting a risk analysis report during the Halloween period, appeared on the 24th as a suspect before the Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) of the National Police Agency investigating the Itaewon disaster. Key suspects, including former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Imjae, who were booked early in the SIH’s formation, are also scheduled to reappear one after another from this day for questioning.
Former Seoul Police Information Chief Appears Over 'Report Deletion'
Commissioner Park arrived at the Mapo Police Station in Seoul, where the SIH is located, around 10 a.m. and told reporters, "I will respond sincerely to the investigation." He entered the building without answering questions about when he became aware of the report or whether he admits the charges. This is the first time a police senior officer at the commissioner level or above related to the Itaewon disaster has been summoned by the SIH. Commissioner Park is scheduled to observe the digital forensic investigation of the previously seized mobile phones in the morning and then undergo questioning from the afternoon.
According to the SIH, Commissioner Park is suspected of instructing the deletion of the information report in a chatroom involving frontline police station intelligence chiefs to prepare for inspection and seizure after the disaster. The report titled "Itaewon Halloween Festival Public Safety Risk Analysis" reportedly included phrases such as "pedestrians entering the road due to large crowds, traffic inconvenience reports, and concerns about traffic accidents." The SIH applied charges of evidence tampering inducement against former Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Chief Kim, who is believed to have persuaded staff to delete the report under Commissioner Park’s direction. The SIH plans to question Commissioner Park about the circumstances surrounding the report deletion.
The SIH is also considering the possibility that the report deletion was ordered by higher-ups. SIH spokesperson Kim Dongwook said at a briefing the previous day, "So far, we have not found any evidence that higher-ups ordered Commissioner Park to delete the report." The SIH is expected to probe the existence of higher-level involvement during this investigation. Additionally, the SIH plans to confirm with Commissioner Park when he became aware of the report. If he knew about the report before ordering deletion in the messenger chatroom and judged it to be problematic, it could indicate intentional evidence tampering.
The signboard of the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit), investigating the inadequate response to the 'Itaewon tragedy,' was hung at the entrance of the Mapo Police Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Fire and Police Officers Also Investigated as Suspects
The SIH is also investigating Lee, the on-site command team leader of Yongsan Fire Station, who was booked on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. Lee appeared as a suspect this morning for questioning. He was formally listed as a suspect on the warrant during the search on the 8th and was rebooked the day before. He is suspected of failing to respond appropriately at the scene during the disaster. This is the same charge faced by Yongsan Fire Station Chief Choi Seongbeom, who was booked earlier on the 6th. The SIH plans to verify whether relief measures such as requesting ambulance support in the nearby area were properly carried out during the disaster.
Before Commissioner Park and Team Leader Lee, former Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room Chief Song was re-summoned at 9 a.m. Song was questioned as a suspect the previous day and returned home shortly after 10 p.m. The SIH is investigating whether Song properly reported the situation at the scene to former Chief Lee Imjae on the day. There are suspicions that former Chief Lee, who actually arrived at the scene 50 minutes after the disaster, fabricated a report stating he arrived around 10:20 p.m., five minutes after the disaster. The SIH is also examining conflicting accounts regarding the request for riot police deployment between Yongsan Police Station and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, as well as allegations of inadequate response such as controlling the subway line 6 Itaewon Station entrance as the on-site team leader on the day of the disaster.
Former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae is being summoned to the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Key Suspects Recalled... Arrest Warrants Next Week
Former Chief Lee, who was questioned for the first time on the 21st, will reappear before the SIH in the afternoon. He is suspected of professional negligence resulting in death and injury and dereliction of duty for failing to take prior measures despite anticipating large crowds during Halloween and arriving late at the scene. He was questioned for over 11 hours during the first investigation before being released. At that time, the SIH reportedly questioned him about the reasons for his delayed arrival at the accident scene and delayed reporting to the police command, as well as how he prepared for Halloween in advance.
The SIH is expected to focus on verifying the facts surrounding the request for riot police deployment by Yongsan Police Station. Former Chief Lee previously stated at the National Assembly, "I requested the deployment of riot police to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency as a safety measure for Halloween, but it was not accepted due to manpower shortages." However, the SIH said it has not found evidence supporting that Yongsan Police Station requested riot police deployment through analysis of seized materials and witness statements. Testimonies from related parties are reportedly conflicting.
The SIH plans to summon former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Personnel and Training Division Chief Ryu Mijin (Senior Superintendent) on the 25th and Chief Choi Seongbeom again on the 26th for further questioning. They were previously summoned on the 18th and 21st, respectively. The SIH intends to complete investigations of these key suspects within two weeks and plans to apply for arrest warrants for some of them next week. An SIH official said, "We have been continuously consulting with the prosecution in preparation for applying for arrest warrants." This is interpreted as confidence in proving the charges and obtaining warrant approval.
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