'Itaewon Report Deletion' Police Officer and Former Yongsan Chief to Be Heard by the Same Court Panel

Three individuals, including Park Seong-min, former head of the Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who is accused of instructing the deletion of reports related to the Itaewon Halloween Festival, are expected to stand trial before the same court as former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae.

Park Sung-min, former head of the Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, is entering the Seoul Western District Court on December 5 last year to attend a pre-trial detention hearing. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 3rd, Judge Kang Seong-su of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Western District Court held the second pretrial hearing for Park, who is accused of instructing the destruction of public electronic records and evidence tampering, along with Kim Jin-ho, former head of the Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division, and Kwak, an intelligence officer at Yongsan Police Station. The court stated, "Since a significant portion of the evidence records overlap, it seems appropriate for this case to be judged together by the collegiate panel," and added, "We will transfer the case to the collegiate panel for joint trial."

In response, Kwak's defense argued, "The defendant admits to all charges, and the collegiate panel would be disadvantageous," but the court did not accept this opinion. The prosecution and other defendants did not submit any opinions.

Although this was the second pretrial hearing held after about a month, there was no significant progress due to the defendants not having sufficient access to the evidence records and lists. The prosecution's investigation into Kim's charge of professional negligence resulting in death has also not been completed.

They are accused of ordering the deletion of intelligence reports that anticipated crowds gathering in Itaewon during Halloween and carrying out those orders. Park is suspected of instructing frontline intelligence chiefs, including Kim, via messenger on November 2 last year to delete intelligence reports indicating that crowds might gather in Itaewon on Halloween. Kim is also under investigation for ordering his subordinate, Kwak, to delete the reports stored on a work PC.

Meanwhile, five others, including former Police Chief Lee and former Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room Chief Song Byeong-ju, have been indicted on charges including professional negligence resulting in death. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the 17th at the Seoul Western District Court, Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Bae Seong-jung).