Police blasted for poor response to Halloween tragedy
Police officers are seen at a memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush near Noksapyeong Station in Itaewon, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapGov't to launch task force to develop safety measures to prevent mass crowd incidentsBy Nam Hyun-wooCriticism of the police and Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun is intensifying as records and internal documents point to their lack of response to Saturday's Itaewon crowd crush.During a party meeting, Wednesday, ruling People Power Party interim leader Chung Jin-suk said that the truth should be revealed as to why police failed to take appropriate measures to prevent the disaster.“There were 12 emergency calls before the crush,” Chung said. “Police officers were dispatched to the site four times, but why they didn't take sufficient on-site measures, such as bringing in the riot police, should be revealed and responsibility properly taken.” Chung's comments came after the National Police Agency (NPA) disclosed the transcripts of 11 emergency calls it received from 6:34 p.m. to 10:11 p.m., Saturday. Just four minute
Nov 2, 2022By Nam Hyun-woo