Only the Unauthorized Terrace Extension Charge Acknowledged
The representative of Hamilton Hotel, accused of installing illegal structures that exacerbated the damage in the ‘Itaewon tragedy,’ denied the charges, claiming that no illegal partition walls were installed.
Lee Mo, CEO of Hamilton Hotel, who is accused of exacerbating the Itaewon disaster damage due to illegal extension, is attending the first trial held at the Seoul Western District Court on the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 10th at 10:10 a.m., Judge Jeong Geum-young of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 4 held the first trial for four defendants, including Lee, the CEO of Hamilton Hotel, the hotel operating corporation, a tenant of a store within the hotel, and the representative of a nearby pub, on charges of violating the Building Act and Road Act. Lee and others are accused of erecting illegal structures near Hamilton Hotel and the pub Frost in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, as well as occupying the road without permission and failing to report to the local district office.
The representative admitted to the unauthorized extension of the terrace connected to the ‘Bronze’ pub behind Hamilton Hotel but denied the charges related to the illegal installation of partition walls.
According to the prosecution’s allegations, Lee is also accused of illegally installing a ‘red partition wall’ in the alley where the tragedy occurred. The prosecution claims that in February 2018, he constructed a steel panel fence (red partition wall) measuring 21 meters in length, 0.8 meters in width, and 2.8 meters in height on the west side of Hamilton Hotel. This fence, attached to the alley where the Itaewon tragedy took place, was identified as a cause that worsened the bottleneck effect and was found to have encroached about 20 cm onto the road.
Lee is also charged with unauthorized extension of the terrace connected to ‘Bronze.’ After the first unauthorized terrace extension in January 2018, he received a corrective order from Yongsan District Office in October 2019 to dismantle it. Lee removed the terrace and obtained voluntary correction confirmation from the district office on November 5 of that year, preventing the structure from being designated as an ‘illegal building.’ However, it was found that he again illegally extended a terrace-like structure just ten days later. The terrace connected to the store is a building with a floor area of 17.4 square meters made of lightweight steel frames and glass. The prosecution argues that Lee occupied 14.5 square meters of the road without reporting it to the district office, obstructing passage in the Itaewon World Food Street.
Regarding the prosecution’s claims, Lee’s side admitted only to the unauthorized terrace extension charges, excluding the partition wall installation. Lee’s side stated, “We acknowledge the charges related to the Building Act violations concerning the terrace extension, but since the tenant extended it to boost business and we tolerated it, we ask for leniency. The red partition wall was installed to block heat from outdoor units from reaching pedestrians, so the Building Act does not apply, and there is no reporting obligation. It is also unclear whether it exceeded the building line.”
The representative of ‘Bronze,’ Ahn, fully admitted to the charges but drew a line, stating that he is not a joint principal offender with Lee as the prosecution claims. Ahn’s side said, “In 2018, we took over the restaurant from Hamilton Hotel as is and operated it. Although we received a corrective order from the district office, due to poor financial conditions caused by COVID-19, we paid a penalty instead of dismantling.” They added, “Ahn had a complacent thought that ‘if we pay the penalty, we can continue operating.’ Please reflect this in sentencing.”
Park, the representative of the nearby pub Frost who appeared in court, admitted to all charges of violating the Building Act and Road Act.
Meanwhile, the next trial for Lee and others is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. on the 5th of next month.
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