Itaewon Tragedy 2nd Anniversary... "Not Guilty for Failing to Foresee the Disaster, How to Resolve the Injustice of 159 Victims"

"Relatives Weep Over Not Guilty Verdict for Police and District Office Officials"

Lee Jeong-min, the operating committee chairman of the 10·29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, criticized the acquittal of Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor, and Kim Kwang-ho, former Seoul Police Chief, in the first trial regarding their negligence responsibility for the Itaewon disaster, saying, "'The ruling that there is no guilt because the disaster could not be foreseen' is utterly absurd." Mayor Park and former Chief Kim were indicted for inadequate response to the 10·29 Itaewon disaster but were recently acquitted.

On the 29th, the second anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, Chairman Lee said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "The court ruled that 'there is no guilt because the disaster could not be foreseen,' which is very puzzling," and pointed out, "Isn't the police an organization that must always prepare and respond to any situation? In the future, if a huge disaster occurs and someone says, 'I am not guilty because I could not foresee it,' will that mean acquittal?"

He continued, "Initially, the prosecution sought 7 years imprisonment for Mayor Park and 5 years imprisonment for former Chief Kim, but the court acquitted them," adding, "Either the prosecution is extremely incompetent or the court is overly passive; it must be one of the two."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Lee said, "If this ruling is confirmed as is, who will resolve the grievances of the 159 victims?" and added, "The bereaved families wept a lot out of sheer despair."

Regarding Mayor Park, he claimed, "Aside from criminal responsibility as a local government head, he is a very heartless person." Chairman Lee added, "He never once showed sincerity and rather showed disregard for the bereaved families," and said, "During the disaster, a memorial banner was hung in the multipurpose gymnasium hall where the victims were, but seeing that he prevented its installation, I thought, 'This person really feels no remorse at all.'"