[앵커]
At the end of this month, we will mark the first anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, which killed 159 people, but it has still not been decided whether to indict the police leadership pointed out as the highest level.
The recently newly formed prosecution investigation team plans to look again from the beginning, so it is expected that it will take a considerable amount of time to reach a final conclusion.
Reporter Woongseong Yoon covered the story.
[기자]
A year ago, on October 29, a stampede occurred in Itaewon, Seoul, where Halloween was happening, killing 159 people.
After two months of investigation, the National Police Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters found that the charges of increasing casualties due to neglect of safety measures were acknowledged and sent 23 people involved to the prosecution.
The prosecution handed over to trial those responsible for the scene, including former Seoul Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae and Yongsan-gu Office Chief Park Hee-young, but has been delaying a decision on Seoul Police Agency Chief Kim Gwang-ho, the most “high-ranking official,” for a year.
The key issue is whether it is possible to charge Commissioner Kim Kwang-ho with professional negligence manslaughter, but it is known that the investigation team and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office have differed in their opinions.
The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office, which recently had a new command line including the chief prosecutor, plans to look again from the beginning on whether to indict Commissioner Kim.
In this case, it is expected that quite a bit more time will be needed as not only review of records and legal principles, but also additional investigation if necessary can not be ruled out.
[윤복남 / 민변 10·29참사대응 TF단장 : 보고를 안 받았을 리 없는 상태에서 김광호 서울청장에 대한 기소 여부가 늦어지고 있는 점에 대해 굉장히 이례적이라고 생각을 하고요. ‘검찰이 수사를 제대로 안 하고 있다’ 이렇게 볼 수밖에 없습니다.]
Commissioner Kim’s superiors, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-geun and Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min, were not even transferred to the police special headquarters.
Although the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Minister Lee, the Constitutional Court dismissed it, saying it was difficult to say that it violated the Disaster and Safety Act.
Meanwhile, as the trial dragged on, all six people involved, including Yongsan-gu Mayor Park Hee-young and Yongsan Police Chief Lee Im-jae, were released on bail.
[이정민 / 이태원참사유가족협의회 운영위원장(지난 9월) : 159명이 희생된 참담한 사태에 대해서 어느 누구도 책임지는 이가 없고, 책임 소재도 밝혀지지 않았습니다. 도저히 납득하기 어렵고….]
There is less than a month left until the first anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, but not a single person responsible at the time has been punished by court sentence.
This is YTN Yoon Woong-seong.
Video editing; Ma Young-hoo
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2023-10-03 20:12:00
#Ahead #anniversary #Itaewon #disaster.. #Command #investigation #reexamined #beginning
