A South Korean police officer targeted by the investigation into the deadly stampede in Seoul that killed more than 150 people over the Halloween weekend was found dead on Friday (November 11), national police announced.
This 55-year-old policeman, identified only by his last name, Jeong, was specifically suspected of having destroyed a delicate relationship. Mr. Jeong worked at the Itaewon District Police Station in central Seoul, where 156 people died, asphyxiated and crushed in a mob movement on the evening of October 29.
The continuation after the announcement
What we know about the stampede that caused more than 150 deaths in Seoul during a Halloween party
This intelligence agent was found dead at his Seoul home, a national police official told AFP. His police station, charged that evening to monitor the neighborhood and supervise the celebrations, is one of the objectives of the vast investigation opened after the disaster.
Among other allegations, Mr. Jeong was suspected of ordering the destruction of an intelligence report warning of the risk of an accident due to the unprecedented crowds expected that evening, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
100,000 people on Halloween night
As part of the investigation, the National Police raided the Itaewon District Police Station. Transcripts of the emergency calls, released by the police, show that the police station had received 11 reports warning them that the crowd was dangerously dense during the four hours leading up to the tragedy. However, the police did not intervene immediately.
On the evening of October 29, more than 100,000 people flocked to this neighborhood of narrow streets and sloping alleys to celebrate Halloween for the first time since the pandemic began.
The continuation after the announcement
Despite the unprecedented crowd, police had deployed only 137 officers in Itaewon, while at the same time some 6,500 policemen had been mobilized to another district for a smaller anti-government demonstration. The 156 people who died in the crowd movement were mostly young women, several teenagers and dozens of foreigners.
Some senior South Korean officials, including the National Police Chief, Seoul Mayor and Interior Minister, apologized and admitted their lack of anticipation.
