By admin SEOUL: A South Korean court ruled on Thursday (October 17) that Seoul’s former police chief was not negligent in his response to Halloween crowds in the capital’s Itaewon nightclub district, where 159 revelers were killed in 2022.
The Seoul Western District Court said it had acquitted Kim Kwang-ho, the highest-ranking police official charged in the incident, in contrast to the three-year sentence it handed down in September to the former police chief of the affected district.
A lower-level official in charge of the city district where Itaewon is located was accused of lack of preparation, which, according to the court, created conditions for crowds almost two years ago.
However, in the case of Kim, the former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the court found there was “insufficient evidence” that he had breached his specific and direct duty of care in the lead-up to and initial response to the incident.
Along with him, two other police officers were acquitted of the same charges.
After the verdict was read, there were shouts of protest from the victims’ families in the courtroom, asking: “How was this not a man-made disaster?” Yonhap reported.
The court acknowledged that the death toll could have been reduced if “even a small police force responsible for maintaining order in Itaewon” had been deployed on the night of the Halloween weekend.
“We cannot refrain from expressing not only disappointment but also deep regret as the government’s social disaster functions appear to have failed to function properly on the night of the crowds,” the verdict said.
An association of activist groups demanding accountability for the incident called on prosecutors to appeal the verdict, saying it failed to meet the expectations of bereaved families who wanted a tougher outcome.
Reuters could not immediately reach prosecutors’ officials for comment.
Tens of thousands of people – mostly in their 20s and 30s – came out on October 29, 2022, to enjoy the first post-pandemic Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightclub district.
But the night turned deadly as people crowded into the narrow, sloping street between bars and clubs, and the weight of their bodies and lack of effective crowd control resulted in attendees being crushed to death.
Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison sentence for the former Seoul police chief, who denied any wrongdoing, telling a court in April: “Instead of looking for a scapegoat, real preventive measures should be taken.”