SANTOSTILO SOUTH KOREA’S LEE ORDERS NEW INVESTIGATION TEAM TO LOOK INTO DEADLY 2022 CRUSH

Context: The Itaewon Crowd Crush Tragedy

On October 29, 2022, during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district, more than 150,000 people flooded narrow alleys. Around 10:20 pm, a crowd surge in a cramped, sloped passage near Hamilton Hotel created a deadly bottleneck—resulting in the loss of approximately 159 lives and injuring nearly 200 people. Most were young adults; the death toll included both Koreans and foreigners, making it the worst peacetime disaster in modern South Korean history

Initial investigations by a special police unit, led by Son Je‑han, indicated catastrophic failures: only 137 officers were deployed despite anticipating massive crowds, there were ignored emergency hotline calls, and rescue efforts were hindered by poor coordination and delayed responses. Experts described it as a preventable “man‑made disaster”


Legal Proceedings & Public Backlash

By late 2023 and 2024, prosecutions moved forward. Lee Im‑jae, the former Yongsan police chief, received a three‑year jail sentence for professional negligence. Two other officers also received convictions: one got two years, another a suspended sentence. Meanwhile, Park Hee‑young, head of the Yongsan Ward office, and several senior officials—including Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency leader Kim Kwang‑ho—were acquitted. Critics, particularly families of victims and opposition lawmakers, condemned the lack of accountability at senior levels

Despite spirited calls for broader accountability, no top-level officials resigned, and many families felt the government minimized its responsibility. Even four years after the incident, families continued to lament the absence of genuine justice or real safety reforms


New Investigation Initiative by President Lee

Amid sustained pressure, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a bill in May 2024 to establish a new, independent fact-finding committee for the Itaewon tragedy. Approved unanimously with 256 votes in favor, the legislation mandates a nine‑member panel with a mandate to investigate deeply into the causes of the disaster, systemic failures, and accountability. The panel has up to 15 months to complete its findings and will submit its recommendations to prosecutorial agencies, which then have three months to conduct follow-up investigations or bring charges

President Yoon Suk‑yeol previously vetoed an earlier version of the bill due to disputes over the committee’s investigative powers—but signaled willingness to endorse the compromise bill after amendments resolved earlier disagreements with opposition lawmakers .


Why the Second Investigation?

The original police probe, while detailed, stopped short of holding higher-level officials and government branches fully accountable—even though evidence showed warnings were received and ignored, reporting chains failed, and coordination collapsed. Families and rights groups demanded legislative action to ensure impartial oversight and to overcome institutional resistance .


Next Steps & Implications

  • Committee Operations: The independent panel will explore systemic issues—police deployment decisions, command-level communications, and institutional protocols.

  • Timeline: The panel has 15 months; findings will inform prosecutorial reviews, which must conclude within 3 months.

  • Potential Outcomes: If the committee identifies higher-level culpability, prosecutors could indict officials currently shielded from direct accountability.

  • Broader Impact: Successful completion may rebuild public trust and catalyze reforms in crowd management, emergency planning, and government transparenc

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