Seoul Police Sent to Jail for Deadly Mistakes in Itaewon Disaster | Crowds in Seoul

A South Korean court has sentenced three police officers to prison for killing 159 people in a Seoul nightlife district on Halloween 2022.

Monday’s convictions are the first over authorities’ failure to prevent or adequately respond to overcrowding in the popular Itaewon district. No senior officials were charged or held accountable, prompting criticism from bereaved families and opposition politicians.

The clash, one of South Korea’s biggest peacetime disasters, sparked widespread sadness across the country. The victims, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s, had gathered in Itaewon for Halloween celebrations.

The Seoul Western District Court sentenced Lee Im-jae – the former chief of Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon – to three years in prison. Another Yongsan police officer was sentenced to two years in prison and a third officer received a two-year suspended sentence.

The three officers were convicted of professional negligence resulting in death. The court ruled that the crush was not a natural disaster and could have been prevented or the toll reduced if the three officers had adequately prepared for the crowd, quickly alerted others to the danger and adequately supervised other law enforcement officers.

Both police officers and prosecutors can appeal.

The court also ruled that Park Hee-young, head of the Yongsan district office, and three other district officials were not guilty. It is unlikely that a district office has the right to control or disperse a crowd.

Surviving family members criticized the acquittals of Park and the other municipal officials. “Does that make sense? We can’t really accept this,” said Lee Jeong-min, a representative of the families.

In early 2023, a special police investigation concluded that police and local officials had failed to formulate effective crowd control measures despite anticipating large crowds in Itaewon. Investigators said police also ignored hotline calls from pedestrians warning of rising crowds before the surge turned deadly.

With Associated Press