"Did Yongsan Police Station Function Properly During the Disaster?" Lee Im-jae Responds, "I Am Sorry and Saddened"

Iimjae "Did Not Recognize the Urgent Situation at the Time"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] On the 4th, the first hearing to investigate the Itaewon disaster was held, where ruling and opposition committee members intensely questioned the timing of the Yongsan Police Station's awareness of the situation and whether crowd control orders were given.

At the hearing held at the National Assembly that day, about 40 witnesses appeared, including Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Lee Im-jae, former Chief of Yongsan Police Station.

At the session, People Power Party lawmaker Jeon Ju-hye asked former Chief Lee Im-jae, "You first appeared on the radio at 10:35 p.m. Did you not know it was a disaster at that time?" Lee replied, "That is correct."

When Jeon pointed out, "I think you should have requested security reinforcements from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Did you not consider that?" Lee responded, "At that time, I was not aware of such an urgent situation at all."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Also, regarding Jeon's point that Lee had arrived at the scene and climbed onto the rooftop of the police substation, Lee explained, "I thought it was necessary to command while observing the entire area from a high place."

Former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae: "If I had known the situation in Itaewon, which chief would just sit in the car?"

When asked, "Was Yongsan Police Station operating properly?" he said, "I feel sorry and regretful about that part," acknowledging responsibility.

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Su-jin also accused Lee of perjury, saying, "You testified that you became aware of the situation at 11 p.m., but that itself is false testimony," pointing out, "You had a phone call with the Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room chief around 10:32 p.m. when you were in the car."

Lee retorted, "If I had known the situation, I would have run there or ordered additional personnel support via radio. Which chief would just sit in the car?"

Democratic Party lawmaker Cheon Jun-ho asked Choi Eul-cheon, head of the Yongsan Police Station Criminal Division, "Did you receive any prior instructions or guidelines regarding crowd control?" Choi replied indirectly, "It was not crowd control but a preventive criminal activity within the crowd," adding, "Even preventive criminal activities visible to crime require police officers to manage the crowd."

Cheon also criticized the special criminal activities targeting drug crimes on the day of the disaster, saying, "On the day of the disaster, including the witness, about 50 detectives conducted special criminal activities to prevent drug crimes in the Itaewon area," and added, "They did not prioritize citizens' safety."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Heated Exchanges as Ruling Party Demands Withdrawal of Basic Income Party Lawmaker Yong Hye-in over Secret Filming Controversy

At the hearing, ruling party special committee members pointed out the 'secret filming controversy' involving Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in's aides and demanded Yong's withdrawal, leading to a sharp confrontation between ruling and opposition parties for about 20 minutes. This was another political dispute with only three days left before the National Assembly investigation deadline.

The Special Committee for the National Assembly Investigation held the first hearing to investigate the Itaewon disaster at the National Assembly that day. Lee Man-hee, the ruling party's floor leader and People Power Party lawmaker, demanded Yong's withdrawal immediately after the hearing began through a procedural speech.

This was in response to claims that during the second agency report on the 29th of last month, after a recess, Yong's side secretly filmed conversations between People Power Party lawmakers Jeon Ju-hye and Cho Su-jin, which caused the meeting to break down. This dispute lasted about 20 minutes after the hearing started.

Lee said, "Among fellow lawmakers, especially in a National Assembly investigation aiming to uncover the truth of the Itaewon disaster, such behavior is hard to believe," and criticized, "The Democratic Party floor leader defended Yong's behavior, saying it was like a student refusing to attend school because they want to change their seat partner."

He added, "Since the person involved was not even present at the scene, the aide disguised as a reporter filming other lawmakers and recording conversations raises suspicion about their intentions," and requested, "I ask Yong to sincerely apologize to fellow lawmakers and leave the meeting room for the smooth progress of the investigation."

Lawmaker Jeon Ju-hye also criticized, "The filming that day was indeed secret filming," adding, "It was taken after the recess, directed at lawmakers Cho and me. If not secret filming, then what is it?" She further stated, "Yong's disgraceful incident diminishes the significance of the investigation and obstructs conscientious legislative activities of National Assembly members, so it should be condemned," demanding Yong's apology, deletion of the video, and withdrawal from the meeting.

In response, Yong denied the allegations as "distorting the facts" and stood firm. He said, "My aides have been recording my legislative activities for three years in compliance with the National Assembly Act and rules," adding, "They were recording as usual from the time I left until I returned without any separate instructions from me. The claim that there was a specific intention or directive for a particular situation is not true."