Intense courtroom battles continued during the first trial of former Seoul Police Chief Kim Kwang-ho, who was indicted for inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster. Kim’s defense denied the charges of poor response, calling it an "excessive responsibility based on hindsight."
Former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Kim Kwang-ho, who was indicted for inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster, is being protested by bereaved families while attending the first trial at the Seoul Western District Court on the afternoon of the 22nd. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 22nd, the 12th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su) held the first trial for Kim, who was charged with professional negligence causing death and injury, along with Police Superintendent Ryu Mi-jin, who was the duty officer in charge of situation management at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency during the disaster, and former 112 Situation Team Leader Jeong Dae-gyeong.
The prosecution argued that Kim had received multiple reports from the intelligence and investigation departments and was fully aware in advance of the risks posed by the crowd concentration during the Halloween festival.
The prosecution stated, "The defendant received a report from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s intelligence department on October 14, 2022, that more than 100,000 people would gather in the Itaewon area, and on the 24th, he was briefed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Tourist Police. Despite being aware that a large crowd would gather on the day of the disaster, he did not instruct relevant departments to prepare effective countermeasures, nor did he order the Yongsan Police Station to prepare security measures, thus violating his duty of care regarding the accident."
The prosecution added, "The defendant had a specific and defined professional duty of care to prevent the spread of damage through measures such as deploying police riot squads. Nevertheless, Kim took no action, including efforts to ascertain the situation immediately after the accident or deploying riot squads, which led to an increase in casualties."
In response, Kim’s defense argued, "The Itaewon disaster was caused by a combination of multiple factors," and claimed it was unreasonable to predict the accident based solely on prior reports.
Kim’s legal representative stated, "While 100,000 people is not a small crowd, the report indicated that this number would gather over three days, not all at once at a single point. It is an excessive claim to say that this report alone could have predicted a crush accident." They also cited the fact that neither the media nor administrative agencies foresaw the disaster.
Regarding allegations that the disaster was worsened by insufficient manpower support on the day of the incident, the defense said, "Even if riot police were not dispatched, personnel from the Tourist Police and Yongsan Police Station, as well as other police stations, were deployed, so it cannot be said that manpower support was insufficient. The defendant pleads not guilty to the charges."
Police Superintendent Ryu and former Team Leader Jeong, who were also tried that day, fully denied the charges. Ryu is accused of abandoning his duty as the night duty officer in charge of situation management at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the day of the disaster by leaving his post. Jeong is accused of failing to properly supervise the 112 situation room, resulting in improper handling of emergency calls.
Ryu’s legal representative argued, "The defendant performed duty tasks unrelated to the incident response on the day of the disaster. The prosecution’s claim that he should be held jointly responsible simply because of his past experience with the 112 situation room is a logical leap."
Jeong’s legal representative also stated, "There are radio records instructing strict maintenance of order related to the disaster. The prosecution claims that no measures were taken and the situation was neglected, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency did take such measures, so the prosecution should clarify what was lacking."
Families of the victims and survivors who attended the trial called for severe punishment of the defendants. Before the trial began, some clashes occurred, including family members grabbing Kim’s hair.
Kim Cho-rong, who survived the incident on site, emphasized, "The sole cause of the Itaewon disaster was the failure to manage crowd congestion." Kim Nam-hee, mother of the late victim Shin Hye-jin, said, "If riot squads capable of managing the large crowd had been deployed or if former Chief Kim had not been negligent, the disaster would not have occurred."
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