Concert organizers under probe

Police officers move boxes of confiscated documents out of the office of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science & Technology Promotion in Pangyo Techno Valley in Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. The institute was involved in the planning of a concert Friday in which 16 people were killed. / Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

Kwak Jae-seon, chairman of an online newspaper Edaily, speaks to reporters at the entrance of a district office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Edaily was the main host of Friday’s deadly concert. / Yonhap

Police raided the offices of Edaily, an online newspaper, and the Gyeonggi Institute of Science & Technology Promotion (GISTP), Sunday, both of which were involved in the planning of an outdoor concert in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, where 16 people died Friday.

Almost 10 locations were raided, including the homes of six Edaily employees who reportedly helped organize the concert.

A travel ban was imposed on them and the police said some may face prosecution.

Edaily Chairman Kwak Jae-seon visited the families of victims and said he will take responsibility for the disaster.

“Through an educational foundation I have, I will take care of the education costs for the children of the victims,” he said.

A ventilation grating collapsed during an outdoor pop concert southeast of Seoul, killing 16 people and seriously injuring 11 others.

Among the injured, four are in critical condition, said the police. The victims were standing on the grating when it collapsed hurling the victims 20 meters into a sub-basement.

Organizers passing responsibility

Edaily, the main host of the concert, and Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Seongnam City, which gave the go-ahead for the concert, have been passing responsibility back and forth.

The newspaper claims Gyeonggi and Seongnam were the “real” hosts of the event as stated in brochures and posters, while the latter argued they had told the organizer not to use their names in promotion materials.

This is expected to be a contentious issue.

Representatives from Edaily and the municipal governments met Sunday to discuss the aftermath of the tragedy and compensation issues.

“Edaily used the names of Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Seongnam City Government without their permission. Edaily did it because it was only seeking support in case of emergency,” a member of an emergency team representing both government offices told reporters, Saturday. “But Gyeonggi Province and Seongnam City did not receive a formal request for support from Edaily.”

Edaily denounced the claim.

“We used their names with permission,” it said on its website.

“It was agreed that Pangyo Techno Valley Festival was hosted by both the provincial and city governments and organized by Edaily. This is also proven in the institute’s press release from Oct. 13 which stated the provincial and city governments would host the festival.”

The online newspapers reaction drew criticism.

A user named No_Nickname wrote, “A press release can’t be proof. You know the truth. Why don’t you just come forward and confess that you handled things wrong?”

After the tragedy, Gyeonggi Governor Nam Kyung-pil immediately returned from Germany where he was traveling on business.

Nam said, “I send my condolences to the families of the dead. Ultimately, I bear responsibility for what happened.”

The police said initial investigations discovered that nothing was on the site to block people from standing on the grating.

One staff member handling safety measures for the concert wrote falsely in a document that four people were working during the concert.

“We questioned people, and found that no one was stationed to look after safety,” said a policeman.

Seven hundred people attended the concert.

A 37-year-old man, identified by his surname Oh, was found dead, Saturday, on a street near where the concert took place in an apparent suicide.

Oh wrote in a note, “I have done what I could do. I didn’t mean to hurt people. I am sorry for those who had their lives lost. I am also sorry to my parents, my babies and my wife.”

Edaily initially projected 1,000 people would attend the concert, and had a budget of 200 million won ($187,705). However, it scaled this down to 70 million won ($65,696) at the last minute.

Funds came from the GISTP, Seongnam City Government and two unidentified banks.