President vows police reforms over Itaewon tragedy

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a meeting on the national safety system at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps

By Nam Hyun-woo

• Published Nov 7, 2022 5:31 PM KST
• Updated Nov 8, 2022 2:39 PM KST

Yoon makes formal apology over Halloween disaster

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol promised Monday to reprimand those who are responsible for the Itaewon crowd crush and overhaul the police's risk management and response system. He also made a formal apology as the president who is in charge of the public's safety.

“To protect the people's safety, a sweeping overhaul is required for police services related to risk management and accident prevention,” Yoon said during a meeting held to review crowd control and other safety regulations in the wake of the crowd crush that killed 156 people enjoying Halloween festivities on Oct. 29.

“Regarding this disaster, we will make sure that the truth will be found clearly and make the whole process crystal clear to the public,” Yoon said. “Depending on the outcome, I will make those who are accountable take grave responsibility.”

During the closed-door meeting, Yoon slammed the police for their negligent response to the incident, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung.

“When police received the first emergency call at around 6:34 p.m., it is assumed that the situation at the site could have been chaotic, and how can you say that police have no authority to control the situation?” Yoon was quoted as saying, referring to the police's initial explanation that it has no authority to control the crowd.

Yoon's comments came after news reports and an internal audit by the police suggest that control efforts by law enforcement authorities were insufficient and that their chain of command was not functioning properly during the incident.

A transcript of emergency calls that police received on the night of Oct. 29 showed that it had received at least 11 calls clearly showing the risks of a crowd crush, but officers were dispatched to the scene in response to only four of those calls.

Police also suspect that the chief of Yongsan Police Station, who was in charge of the Itaewon area, might have ordered, after the incident took place, the deletion of an internal report which warned of the risk of a crowd crush.

Also, top police officials failed to report the situation immediately after the incident, and made a report to the presidential office an hour later than the National Fire Agency.

These revelations resulted in criticism against National Police Agency (NPA) Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, with the opposition bloc demanding their resignations.

“Who has the responsibility to prevent safety accidents? It is the police,” Yoon said. “Our police force is not that incompetent, and has outstanding intelligence capabilities, but how can they watch the situation for four hours doing nothing?”

An official at the presidential office said Yoon was not targeting a certain person attending the meeting, but the comments are interpreted as the president's intention to hold police accountable for letting the situation get out of control.

As the president pinpointed the police as the target of an overhaul, heads are likely to roll within the NPA depending on the outcome of the internal audit.

In May 2014, then-President Park Geun-hye “disbanded" the Korea Coast Guard, holding it accountable for poor responses during the sinking of the Sewol ferry a month before, which killed 304 passengers. The coast guard was revived during the Moon Jae-in administration that followed.

Although it will be impossible for Yoon to take such drastic measures, chances are high that a sweeping overhaul of ranking officers will take place, including the police commissioner general, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Kwang-ho and former Yongsan Police Station chief Lee Im-jae, who was relieved from the job after the incident.

Reforming emergency response system

During Monday's meeting, Yoon and his ministers shared their ideas on reforming the country's crowd control measures and emergency rescue system to prevent similar accidents from taking place.

“One of the most common risks that we are exposed to are crowds,” Yoon said. “Tailored safety control systems are required depending on various types of venues and crowds. Moreover, no matter how advanced systems and manuals we prepare may be, a similar kind of tragedy will inevitably be repeated, if the situation is not properly communicated and shared quickly,” he added.

The participants of the meeting stressed the necessity of strengthening the response capability at the site of accidents, policies designed based on field experience, punishment for lax discipline and technology-based safety control measures.

Formal apology

During the meeting, Yoon also issued a formal apology over the incident.

“I cannot not compare myself to the parents who lost their sons and daughters, but as the president who should protect the people's lives and safety, I grieve and my heart is heavy,” Yoon said. "I feel a sense of apology to the bereaved families who are facing an indescribable tragedy and to the nation that is sharing in the pain and sadness.”

Until early last week, Yoon and officials of his administration had refrained from making formal apologies over the incident, as they were in the process of finding out whether the government is responsible for the tragedy.

However, as investigations imply that police responses were insufficient, Yoon first used the rhetoric of “sense of apology” during a Buddhist memorial service on Friday, and has been making similar remarks while attending memorial religious events during the weekend.