The Commissioner of South Korea’s National Police Agency, Yon Hee Geun, has acknowledged that the response of the team that handled the reports provided by 112 before the tragedy unfolded «was insufficient» and has pledged to conduct a «swift and intensive» investigation of the disaster.
At a press conference on Monday, Hee Geun acknowledged the mistakes made in handling the large volume of information provided by the 112 emergency services and pledged to «thoroughly» review all documents to check whether they received a report warning of the danger in advance.
In this regard, it has pledged to investigate the adequacy of the overall response at the scene, including the management of 112 and whether the actions of commanders and workers at each level were appropriate, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
In addition, he announced a plan to establish a special body independent of the National Police Agency to conduct a «transparent and rigorous» investigation. He has also pledged, in his personal capacity, to work to «uncover the truth with the determination that ‘his flesh’ demands.»
Hours earlier, the South Korean police admitted that there had been «mistakes» in taking measures that could have prevented the tragedy in which more than 150 people died. Hong Ki Hyun, head of the National Police’s Public Order Management Office, regretted that they were unable to «anticipate the tragedy» in the face of growing criticism of the actions of the security forces.
«A large number of people were expected to gather there, but we didn’t think there would be casualties because of the crowds,» he said, before pointing out that «a similar number of people gather every year.» «The police who were in the area did not detect a sudden increase in the number of people in the area,» he said, according to information from the Yonhap news agency.
Hong said 137 law enforcement personnel were deployed in the area on Sunday, compared with the number in years before the coronavirus pandemic. However, the officers were scheduled to deal with traffic and petty crime.
In this regard, he asserted that «there is no manual» for dealing with situations with large crowds such as those of the Halloween holiday in Itaewon, although he assured that from now on measures will be taken to intervene in the event of such situations without a clear organization.
The funerals of the 154 victims have already begun in South Korea as the government announces aid of 15 million won (about 9,100 euros) for the families of the deceased, who will be able to pay for the religious services.
The authorities will also cover the medical expenses of all those injured in the stampede.
