Search and seizure of Osan Mayor Lee Kwon-jae over retaining wall collapse accident on suspicion of serious accident

Police have launched a compulsory investigation into Lee Kwon-jae, Mayor of Osan, who holds ultimate responsibility for city administration, over last year’s retaining wall collapse on an overpass in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, which left one driver dead.
This is the first time police have carried out a search and seizure of the mayor’s office.
On the 4th, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency executed a search warrant for Lee Kwon-jae on suspicion of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in connection with a serious civil accident.
On the morning of the same day, police sent 26 investigators to Osan City Hall to secure materials needed for the investigation from the mayor’s office, the secretary’s office, the Safety Policy Division, and the Planning and Budget Division.
Earlier, on July 22 last year, six days after the accident, police conducted searches of Osan City, the builder Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and the supervising agency Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety, but the mayor’s office was not included at that time.
Investigators plan to secure electronic data stored on Lee Kwon-jae’s personal computer, while his mobile phone was excluded from seizure after a warrant request for it was dismissed.
Police formally booked Lee Kwon-jae last November on charges related to a serious civil accident.
A serious civil accident refers to a disaster caused by defects in the design, manufacture, installation, or management of public-use facilities or public transportation. It applies, for example, when at least one person dies or when ten or more people are injured and require treatment for at least two months.
Police had been investigating indications that Lee Kwon-jae, as the final decision-maker for city administration, neglected his duties to establish and operate a safety and health management system, including securing necessary personnel, budgets, and inspections to prevent such accidents. Based on these findings, they have now shifted to a compulsory investigation.
After completing the analysis of the seized materials and reviewing the results of an upcoming investigation report by the accident investigation committee, police plan to schedule Lee Kwon-jae’s summons for questioning.
A police official was quoted as saying, "We conducted the search and seizure after detecting indications that Mayor Lee neglected his duty to prevent accidents in relation to the serious civil accident," adding, "We will secure and analyze documents related to serious accident management."
Previously, at around 7:04 p.m. on July 16 last year, a retaining wall of an overpass in the Suwon-bound direction at Gajang Intersection in Gajang-dong, Osan, collapsed and crushed a passenger car passing on the road below, killing the driver in his 40s.
Possible causes cited include a heavy downpour of 39.5 millimeters per hour, inadequate road closures despite the risk posed by potholes and cracks, poor construction work, and lax road maintenance.
Criticism has also emerged that the accident could not be prevented even though, on the day before the collapse, a civil complaint was filed warning that "if it rains, there is a risk that the retaining wall could collapse," and no immediate action was taken.


jjang@fnnews.com Reporter Jang Choong-sik Reporter