Former Seoul Police Chief Kim Kwang-ho Denies Charges in 'Itaewon Tragedy'..."Preemptive Police Deployment Was Unreasonable"

Former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Kim Kwang-ho, who was indicted for inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster, has completely denied the charges.

Kim Kwang-ho, former Commissioner of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su) held the first pretrial hearing on the 11th for Kim, who was indicted on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury.

On this day, Kim's legal representative stated, "He feels moral and administrative responsibility," but also denied the charges, saying, "The prosecution's indictment cannot be justified solely because the defendant was the Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency."

He added, "Just because Halloween is a day when many people have parties, claiming that police forces should have been deployed in advance anticipating crowd gathering and crush accidents is an excessive assertion."

According to the prosecution, Kim is accused of recognizing through intelligence reports and other means that crowds would gather ahead of the Itaewon disaster that occurred on October 29, 2022, but failing to respond appropriately.

After the trial, Kim left the courtroom saying, "I will sincerely attend the trial."

Police Superintendent Ryu Mi-jin and former Seoul Police 112 Situation Team Leader Jeong Dae-gyeong, who are also on trial, denied the charges.

Ryu's legal representative rebutted the prosecution's claim that he avoided listening to a specific 112 network, stating, "It is not reasonable to assume that the defendant neglected his duties simply because he did not listen to the 112 network, which he could not listen to and was not obligated to listen to."

Jeong's legal representative argued against the charge of failing to properly supervise the handling of 112 emergency calls, saying, "The indictment states that Team Leader Jeong reported the situation late," and added, "It does not specify what constitutes a normal report time, only vaguely mentioning a delay in reporting."