Bereaved Families of Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush Urge Thorough Investigation of Han Duck-soo and Lee Sang-min

The bereaved families of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush urged a comprehensive investigation into former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and other key government, police, and Seoul city officials who were in the command chain at the time. The families pointed out that although the Joint Investigation Team of Prosecutors and Police was launched last year, "those at the top remain excluded from the investigation."
At the press conference held in front of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office on the 17th, the bereaved families stated, "Nearly three years have passed since the disaster, yet the main responsible parties have not even been called in for questioning." They argued, "A reinvestigation is needed into the senior officials who should have played a substantive command and coordination role in the national disaster management system." About 15 family members of victims, including the late Lee Ji-han and Kim Ui-jin, attended the press conference.
Song Hae-jin, executive committee member of the October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association, said, "Although 159 people were crushed to death, not a single person at the top has taken responsibility." He added, "Both the police special investigation and the National Assembly inquiry bypassed the core command. If the outcome is the same this time, it will once again confirm the impotence of the investigative authorities."
Jo In-young, an attorney from the Seoul Halloween crowd crush task force, stated, "Even in the special prosecutor's investigation, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Minister Lee Sang-min, Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and former National Police Chief Yoon Hee-keun were excluded from the investigation." He emphasized, "A prompt reinvestigation is needed into the command group who may have violated or neglected their duties under the Disaster Management Act."
Following the press conference, the bereaved families submitted a formal request for investigation to the Joint Investigation Team of Prosecutors and Police. The request calls for a reinvestigation into all command-level officials in the national, local, police, fire, and district offices, as well as an independent investigation into allegations of dereliction of duty, false reporting, and destruction of evidence.
One bereaved family member said, "Please conduct a sincere investigation so we can learn the names of those responsible for why our children were crushed to death in the heart of Seoul." They continued, "Although we are skeptical that a change in investigative personnel will make a difference, it is still necessary to determine accountability properly."
After the press conference, the bereaved families continued holding picket signs in front of the building for over 30 minutes, repeatedly calling for a "thorough investigation of those at the top" and "accountability for the fire department leadership."
The Joint Investigation Team of Prosecutors and Police was established last July following a directive from the president. The team was formed jointly by prosecutors and police in response to criticism that the special committee lacked investigative authority. However, the bereaved families expressed concern that no interim investigation results have been announced to date.
Meanwhile, in last year's first trial, some officials, including the Mayor of Yongsan-gu, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter