Former Yongsan Police Chief (Senior Superintendent) Lee Im-jae, who was indicted on charges related to the inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster and allegations of deleting information reports, is leaving the court after completing the detention hearing (warrant review) at the Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
The defense team of former Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae, who was indicted for inadequate response during the Itaewon disaster, argued that it was difficult to recognize and respond to the disaster early based solely on radio communications at the time.
During the trial held on the afternoon of the 10th under the Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Bae Seong-jung), verification was conducted on three radio networks used on the day of the disaster, October 29 last year: the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency command network, the Yongsan Station event network, and the Yongsan Station self-network.
Regarding the recording of the Yongsan Station self-network disclosed in court, interpretations differed between the defense attorneys of the former chief and the prosecution.
The recording, which captured radio communications between the Yongsan Station situation room and on-site police officers from 9:10 PM to 11:11 PM on the day of the disaster, included reports received by Yongsan Station before and after the disaster, on-site response situations, and radio reports from police officers dispatched during the disaster.
The defense argued that until around 10:35 PM, when former Chief Lee gave the first order to mobilize personnel related to the disaster, the radio communications did not allow for an accurate recognition of the disaster.
The defense stated, "According to the prosecution's indictment, around 10:19 PM there was a report that someone was trapped at the Itaewon police box. However, the phrase 'someone was trapped' was not heard at all in the radio recordings."
They also claimed that although former Chief Lee gave orders and called the Yongsan Station situation room around 10:40 PM, he was informed that there were no unusual situations.
In response, the prosecution argued, "Around 10:20 PM, unlike previous radio communications, continuous screams were heard on the self-network, and the tone and content of the on-site officers' voices suggested a very urgent situation."
They added, "Considering that many agonized radio transmissions were being broadcast, sometimes without completing a single sentence properly, it can be inferred that former Chief Lee was sufficiently aware of the occurrence or imminent situation of the accident."
The defense countered that former Chief Lee had to simultaneously listen to four radio networks, including the three mentioned and the presidential security network, making it difficult to focus solely on the Yongsan Station self-network where disaster-related reports were coming in.
The prosecution rebutted, "It is hard to accept the claim that former Chief Lee had no capacity to pay attention to the self-network because he went to eat from 9:24 PM, after most large-scale rallies and demonstrations had ended, due to managing the rallies."
Meanwhile, the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens' Countermeasure Committee held a press conference before the trial on the same day to condemn the defendants' bail release and demand strict punishment.
Lee Jeong-min, acting representative of the association, said, "I am very worried and afraid that the trial in a non-custodial state will lighten the defendants' guilt, cover up the responsibility of higher-ups, and let this disaster pass as something insignificant and be buried."
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