The special investigation committee into the Halloween tragedy in Seoul, where 156 people died, on Friday banned the head of the Yongsan Ward police bureau, Park Hee Young, from leaving the country as it moves forward with investigations to determine responsibility for what happened.
The move comes as Yongsan Ward police come under public scrutiny for their slow action on the night of Oct. 29 that could have saved lives.
Park has been accused of negligence and the investigation is now looking into the South Korean security forces’ prevention methods to avoid such crowds and stampedes at an event that was known to be massive.
The officer had failed to attend several high-level meetings previously held to address public safety management for events of this type.
In addition, authorities are also investigating whether the ordinance adopted in April allowed restaurants in the district to double capacity.
