More than a year after the tragedy in Itaewon, on October 29, 2022, which cost the lives of 159 people who came to celebrate Halloween, the Seoul police chief is indicted for negligence. Police in the South Korean capital were heavily criticized for not intervening despite emergency calls from witnesses.
1 min
with our correspondent in Seoul, Celio Fioretti
Kim Kwang-ho, head of the police force in the South Korean capital, is indicted for negligence. A decision from the Seoul prosecutor’s office that many were waiting for, especially the families of the victims. The latter considered the investigation botched: it had only convicted a few police officers, sparing the senior administration.
Also listenSouth Korea: a year after the Halloween tragedy, families are still waiting for answers
Families of the victims gathered around the headquarters of the main opposition party to demand the creation of an independent investigation into the causes of the accident. A bill voted on in the assembly this week by opposition deputies.
But the conservatives in power already want to cancel this bill through a presidential veto. Beyond the drama, the Itaewon accident has become a highly political subject. Indeed, if the investigation had already concluded that the Seoul police chief had been negligent several months ago, the prosecution did not wish to charge him.
But faced with the possible creation of an independent investigation unit, the judges wanted to calm the debate by indicting the one the victims’ families consider responsible. If Kim Kwang-ho is found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison.
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