Police chief charged in deadly crowd crushing in South Korea

Prosecutors in South Korea have charged the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, accusing him of negligently contributing to the 2022 Halloween crowds in Seoul that left nearly 160 people dead, officials said.

The police chief charged Friday, Kim Kwang-ho, is among the highest-ranking government officials to face criminal charges over the episode, one of the worst peacetime disasters in South Korea's history. The chief of Yongsan District, the area of ​​Seoul where the deadly event took place, was already facing similar charges.

On October 29, 2022, thousands of young people gathered in Itaewon, a popular entertainment district in central Seoul, to enjoy the first restriction-free Halloween weekend since the pandemic. Hundreds pressed from both sides into a narrow and sloping alley, creating a suffocating constriction in the middle.

Few police officers were present to control the crowd, even though authorities had been warned in advance of the likelihood of an unusually large gathering and the potential for trouble. As the commotion took place, caller after panicked caller from the scene called police and fire hotlines to describe the commotion, chaos and danger. But help came slowly.

A government investigation last year, led by the National Police Agency, left survivors and relatives of victims dissatisfied and angry. The central government said it had no responsibility for public safety in Itaewon that evening because Halloween festivities had not been formally organized, a response that drew scorn and ridicule from many South Koreans. Only a handful of police and other officials, mainly mid-level, were indicted last year on criminal negligence and similar charges, while top government officials such as the interior minister were cleared of wrongdoing.

Early last year, as the police department concluded its investigation, it asked prosecutors to charge Mr. Kim on charges related to failing to take precautions, such as appointing crowd control officers, and bungling emergency response. But prosecutors didn't act until Friday. Two other police officers were also charged on Friday, bringing the total number of people to stand trial in connection with the Itaewon disaster to 21.

If convicted, Mr. Kim could face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $15,000. Government officials facing criminal charges have also been suspended pending the outcome of their trials.

The victims' families welcomed what they called Mr. Kim's “belated” indictment. They have long accused President Yoon Suk Yeol's government of refusing to come clean about its shortcomings and fire top security officials over the Itaewon disaster.

“President Yoon should immediately fire Seoul's police chief,” they said in a statement. “The charges against the additional people should be a first step toward appropriately punishing those responsible for the Itaewon disaster.”

This month, lawmakers in the National Assembly, which is dominated by parties opposed to President Yoon's, passed a bill that would appoint a special prosecutor to launch an independent investigation into the disaster. They said that the National Police had failed. to reveal the whole truth about official negligence.

Mr Yoon's party has asked him to veto the bill, calling it politically motivated. He hasn't said whether he wants to.