cdn mobile

Seoul police chief indicted over Halloween crush

By: Reuters January 21,2024 - 05:48 PM

Seoul police chief indicted over Halloween crush

A woman prays while reading condolences messages attached to the wall of a narrow alley of Itaewon where the deadly Halloween crush that killed more than 150 in October happened, in Seoul, South Korea, December 18, 2022. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors have indicted the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency , charging him with contributing through negligence to the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul in 2022 that killed nearly 160 people, according to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office.

The indictment of Seoul police chief Kim Kwang-ho came more than a year after the crowd crush in October 2022, which killed 159 people on a Halloween weekend in the entertainment district of Itaewon in capital Seoul. Kim is the highest-ranking police official charged in connection with the crowd crush.

The annual festivities in the popular nightlife area of Itaewon turned deadly on Oct. 29 after tens of thousands of young revelers crowded into narrow alleyways to celebrate the first Halloween free of COVID curbs in three years.

Authorities, including the police, did not devise safety measures even though dense crowds made an accident likely, and did not take appropriate steps after calls for rescue started coming in, according to the investigation team.

In January last year, a special investigation team referred Kim and 22 other police, rescue and district office officials to the prosecution on charges related to the government’s inadequate response to the stampede.

RELATED STORIES

South Korea stampede: 5 things to know

At least 149 killed in stampede at Halloween event in South Korea

Crowd crushes: When celebration turns into horror

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.

TAGS: crowd, Halloween, police chief, Seoul, Stampede
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.