Decision on Detention of Former Yongsan Police Chief and Others Today... First Test for Special Investigation Headquarters' Probe

Former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae is being summoned to the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The decision on whether to detain former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae and former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division Chief Park Seong-min, who have been under investigation for inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster and allegations of deleting information reports, will be made on the 5th.

At 2 p.m. on the same day, Judge Kim Yu-mi, in charge of warrants at the Seoul Western District Court, will hold a pre-arrest hearing (warrant substantive examination) for four individuals: former Chief Lee, former Division Chief Park, former Yongsan Police 112 Situation Room Chief Song Byeong-ju, and former Yongsan Police Intelligence Division Chief Kim Jin-ho. Judge Kim will listen to both sides' arguments and review submitted materials to determine the necessity of detention. The decision on whether to issue the warrants is expected as early as late that night. Earlier, the Police Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Unit), which is investigating the Itaewon disaster, applied for arrest warrants on the 1st, charging former Chief Lee and former Situation Room Chief Song with professional negligence resulting in death or injury, and former Division Chief Park and former Intelligence Division Chief Kim with instructing evidence destruction.

According to the Special Investigation Unit, former Chief Lee is suspected of delayed response by arriving late at the scene without taking prior measures despite fully anticipating the crowd during the Halloween period. Former Situation Room Chief Song is suspected of exacerbating casualties by failing to properly command police response at the scene in the early stages of the disaster. He is also suspected of fabricating a situation report stating that former Chief Lee arrived at the scene around 10:20 p.m. immediately after the disaster. Former Division Chief Park is accused of ordering the deletion of a risk analysis information report prepared during the Halloween period in a chat room where intelligence division chiefs from frontline police stations in Seoul gathered after the disaster. The Special Investigation Unit believes former Intelligence Division Chief Kim persuaded staff to delete the report under former Division Chief Park’s instructions.

The decision on the issuance of warrants on this day is expected to serve as a measure of the Special Investigation Unit’s performance after about a month of investigation. If the court issues the warrants, the investigation is expected to accelerate. In particular, the focus of the investigation is expected to expand from the police, fire department, and Yongsan District Office to higher authorities such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, including so-called 'upper-level' officials at the highest ranks. Conversely, if the warrants are dismissed, the momentum of the investigation will be significantly weakened. Since securing the custody of key suspects would have failed, non-custodial investigations will be inevitable, which will inevitably slow the pace due to the need to coordinate additional investigation schedules each time. Investigations into the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will also be delayed accordingly.

The Special Investigation Unit has already summoned Kim Gwang-ho, Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who oversees Seoul’s security, as a suspect for questioning on the 2nd. Among the police leadership, only Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun of the National Police Agency remains, and the Special Investigation Unit stated that it is conducting the investigation keeping all possibilities open. The Special Investigation Unit has also indicated its intention to carry out all necessary investigations into Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who was booked following a complaint from the Firefighters’ Union. Additionally, the Special Investigation Unit is actively considering applying for arrest warrants against Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District, and Choi Seong-beom, Chief of Yongsan Fire Station, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death or injury. The Special Investigation Unit judges that local governments and fire authorities, who bear primary responsibility for disaster preparedness and relief under the Disaster and Safety Basic Act, hold responsibilities as serious as those of the police.