Latest News

Back to Latest News back

 

South Korean Police recommend officials face manslaughter charges over Halloween crowd crush deaths

South Korean Police recommend officials face manslaughter charges over Halloween crowd crush deaths
March 20, 2023

A special investigation into a crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in the South Korean capital of Seoul last October which killed more than 150 people has recommended involuntary manslaughter and negligence charges be brought against 23 officials.

The Korean National Police Agency investigation team cited a lack of safety measures as the cause of the Halloween crowd surge as well as that local police failed to control the scene and ignored calls from pedestrians hours in advance of the crush that caused the deaths

Despite anticipating a weekend crowd of more than 100,000 people for the Halloween events in Itaewon, Seoul's nightlife district, local police assigned just 137 officers for the area.

These officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts said left few resources for pedestrian safety.

Son Je-han, who headed the investigation, said his team would now send the case to prosecutors.

Those recommended for indictment include Yongsan district Mayor Park Hee-young and the district's former Police Chief Lee Im-jae - two of six people who have been arrested.

The results of the 74-day police investigation announced by Son mostly confirmed what was already clear - that police and public officials in Yongsan failed to employ meaningful crowd-control measures for the expected number of Halloween revellers.

Son said they also essentially ignored pedestrian calls placed to police hotlines that warned of a swelling crowd hours before the surge let to fatalities on 28th October.

Officials were also found to have failed in their responses once people began getting crushed at a narrow alley with Son adding that they failed to establish effective control of the scene and allow rescue workers to reach the injured in time.

At a news conference in Seoul, Son stated “inaccurate judgement of the situation, the slow distribution of information about the situation, poor cooperation between related institutions and delays in rescue operations were among the overlapping failures that caused the high number of casualties.”
Opposition politicians and some relatives of the victims have demanded investigations into more high-profile figures.

The figures include South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun, who have faced calls to resign.

However, Son said the special investigation team would close its probes on the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

He noted it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.

Crowd management experts have called the crush a "man-made disaster" that could have been prevented with fairly simple steps, such as employing more police and public workers to monitor bottleneck points.

Officials could also have enforced one-way walk lanes, blocked narrow pathways or temporarily closed Itaewon's subway station to prevent large numbers of people moving in the same direction.

With AP.

Images: Flowers and memorial messages for the Halloween crowd crush victims at Seoul's Itaewon subway station (top) and the alley were many of the deaths occured, closed off after the fatalities (below). Credit: Shutterstock.

Related Articles

18th March 2023 - Indonesian court jails police officer over Java stadium deaths

6th March 2023 - Inaugural Venue Safety and Security Exchange conference to be staged in Sydney

17th January 2023 - Indonesian Police on trial over fan deaths at East Java’s Kanjuruhan Stadium

23rd November 2022 - Crowd crush by music fans outside John Cain Arena prompts internal review by precinct manager

2nd November 2022 - South Korean authorities concede extensive failures led to Seoul crowd crush deaths

28th October 2022 - Launch announced for Event Safety Institute Australia

2nd October 2022 - At least 170 people dead in Indonesian football stadium crush

15th July 2022 - Event Safety Institute to deliver renowned crowd safety course in Sydney and Perth

5th April 2022 - South Korean technology company Kakao to build new Seoul arena

14th July 2021 - South Korean Government bans high tempo music in Seoul gyms

18th May 2020 - South Korean football club FC Seoul apologises for ‘sex dolls’ in their stadium

10th July 2019 - TDC releases new live signage innovation for events and mass gatherings

15th May 2019 - Reliance Risk to provide event safety and risk management services at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium

29th March 2019 - Populous designed baseball venue debuts in South Korea

22nd January 2019 - South Korea’s first dedicated K-pop arena to be developed in Seoul

29th October 2018 - Monster truck event safety questioned after incident at Mount Gravatt Showground

18th October 2014 - 16 die at South Korean pop festival

20th March 2013 - MCEC stages event safety managers forum