One Week After the Disaster... Yongsan District Mayor and Two Others Changed Their Phones on the Same Day

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Police are investigating after it was discovered that Park Hee-young, mayor of Yongsan District, and three other senior officials at Yongsan District Office changed their mobile phones about a week after the Itaewon tragedy occurred.

According to the police on the 16th, it was confirmed that Mayor Park switched to an iPhone on the 5th of last month. The Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) of the National Police Agency, which is investigating the Itaewon tragedy, seized the iPhone during a search of Mayor Park’s office on the 8th of last month, three days later. At that time, Mayor Park did not provide the iPhone password to the investigators but reportedly gave the password to the investigation team on the 22nd of the same month during a forensic examination observation.

A, the chief secretary and close aide to Mayor Park, was also confirmed to have visited the same store on the same day and switched their smartphone to an iPhone. B, director of the Safety and Construction Transportation Bureau at Yongsan District Office, who is responsible for safety and order, was also found to have replaced their phone before the police investigation, claiming they “dropped it in the restroom.” Including the mayor, three senior officials changed their phones after the tragedy.

The SIH is investigating with the possibility in mind that they acquired new phones to conceal their whereabouts and various contact traces before and after the tragedy. Additionally, they are considering applying for arrest warrants on the grounds of potential evidence destruction.