Yoo Mijin, Former 112 Situation Manager, Imprisoned for 3 Years
Jung Daekyung, Former 112 Situation Team Leader, Imprisoned for 2 Years 6 Months
The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for Kim Kwang-ho, the former Seoul Police Chief, who was brought to trial on charges of exacerbating the scale of damage by inadequately responding to the Itaewon disaster.
Former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Kim Kwang-ho, who was indicted on charges of inadequate response related to the Itaewon disaster, is attending the sentencing hearing held on the afternoon of the 2nd at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 2nd, at the sentencing hearing held before the 12th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su), the prosecution requested a five-year prison sentence for Kim, the former Seoul Police Chief, who is charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury. For Ryu Mi-jin, the former head of the Personnel and Education Division of the Seoul Police, who was on duty as the situation manager at the Seoul Police Agency on the day of the disaster and was also indicted on the same charges, the prosecution requested a three-year prison sentence. For Jeong Dae-gyeong, the former head of the 112 Situation Team, the prosecution requested a two-year and six-month prison sentence.
The prosecution stated, "The Itaewon disaster occurred due to the culpable negligence of public officials who had the duty to prevent the accident on the day of the incident. Since the crowd concentration was clearly anticipated at the time, this accident could have been prevented if at least minimal practical measures had been taken. The defendant, despite being in the position with the greatest responsibility after establishing preliminary measures, failed to fulfill his duties. Moreover, he consistently gave an implausible excuse that he did not recognize the possibility of the accident," explaining the reason for the sentence request.
Kim, the former Seoul Police Chief, is accused of inadequate response, such as failing to establish specific preliminary measures despite receiving reports from the field staff that crowd concentration was expected on the day of the Itaewon disaster, which was the first Halloween Day after COVID-19. Ryu, the former 112 Situation Manager, is accused of leaving his post on the day of the incident and performing private tasks, thereby failing to recognize the risk in a timely manner. Jeong, the former head of the 112 Situation Team, is also accused of inadequate response for failing to report repeatedly received emergency calls to his superiors on the day of the disaster.
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