Police: "No Cooperation Request Yet for Administrative Enforcement at Itaewon Disaster Memorial Altar"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] As the administrative enforcement by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the temporary memorial altar set up at Seoul Plaza by the bereaved families' association of the Itaewon disaster victims is expected to be imminent, it has been reported that the police have not yet received a cooperation request. Inside and outside the police, there is a forecast that the administrative enforcement, scheduled after 1 PM on the 15th, will not take place today.

On the 15th, when Seoul City announced the administrative enforcement against the Itaewon disaster memorial altar at Seoul Plaza, police forces were deployed around the Itaewon disaster memorial altar set up at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official told this outlet on the morning of the same day regarding the administrative enforcement of the Seoul Plaza memorial altar, "There has been no cooperation request from the Seoul Metropolitan Government yet." Earlier, at a regular press briefing on the 13th, the Seoul Police stated that if requested by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, they would actively protect and support to ensure that the administrative enforcement itself is not obstructed.

This administrative enforcement will be carried out with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the managing authority of Seoul Plaza, mobilizing employees and contractors to actually dismantle the tents, while the police will handle illegal acts occurring on-site to ensure the smooth execution of this official duty. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has warned that if the bereaved families do not propose a new memorial space, they may dismantle the memorial altar at Seoul Plaza after 1 PM on the same day.

However, since there was no cooperation request to the police as of the morning, it appears that the Seoul Metropolitan Government will not immediately proceed with the administrative enforcement. The police are currently in a standoff with the bereaved families and civic groups who have been guarding the memorial altar overnight. If the Seoul Metropolitan Government forcibly carries out the administrative enforcement and proceeds with dismantling the altar as announced, physical clashes are expected to be unavoidable.