PM pledges accountability over police inaction on calls hours before Itaewon tragedy

All News 09:52 November 02, 2022

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will sternly hold accountable those responsible as transcripts of emergency calls revealed that police took no action hours before the Itaewon tragedy.

Han made the remarks a day after the National Police Agency admitted that 11 emergency calls reporting overcrowding in Itaewon started coming in around four hours before the disaster that killed at least 156 people, but no action was taken.

Many of the callers said they felt like they were going to be "crushed to death."

"The government will sternly hold accountable those who were responsible as soon as the investigation is completed," Han told a response meeting

Police must thoroughly investigate their inaction and explain the situation to people, Han said.

The government will also map out a comprehensive plan to improve a response system on emergency calls, Han said.

With a grieving nation mourning victims of the crowd crush, experts have pinpointed that a lack of crowd and traffic control may have caused the nation's deadliest disaster in eight years.

"The most basic duty of police is to protect the lives and property of people," Han said. "If there is complacent judgment or lowering tension in performing these tasks, it will betray the trust of people."