The disaster investigation and South Korea’s response to itaewon: “What can we do about a crowd surge?” a televised news conference
“I feel a heavy responsibility as the head of one of the offices related to the disaster,” said the commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency in a televised news conference. Police are going to do everything they can to prevent it from happening again.
The crowd surge is the deadliest disaster in South Korea since the ferry sinking that killed 304 people. Saturday’s crowd surge has raised many questions about what South Korea has done to prevent human-made disasters.
The initial investigation shows that police officers did not respond in a satisfactory manner to many urgent calls from citizens about the potential danger of a crowd gathering in Itaewon.
The disaster took place in a narrow alley in Itaewon and killed at least 156 people. Witnesses described people falling on one another, suffering severe breathing difficulties and falling unconscious. Rescuers and ambulances failed to reach the crammed alleys in time because they were crowded with slow- moving vehicles and partygoers dressed in Halloween costumes.
South Korea has no research on crowd management, but it has failed to fail to lead to the death of 26 foreign nationals in Itaewon
During a meeting of the Cabinet council Tuesday, the President acknowledged that South Korea lacks research on crowd management. He called for using drones and other high-tech resources to develop an effective crowd control capability. He said the government will soon hold a meeting with experts to review overall national safety rules.
The senior police officer told reporters that officers have obtained videos from 50 cameras in the area, as well as video clips that have been posted on social media. More than 40 witnesses and survivors have been interviewed by police.
Halloween festivities in Itaewon have no official organizers. South Korean police said they don’t have specific procedures for handling crowd surge incidents at events that have no organizers.
The death toll could go up, as 29 of the injured were in serious condition. The dead included some 26 foreign nationals from Iran, China, Russia, the United States, Japan and other countries.
President Yoon asked officials to provide the same government support to the bereaved families of the foreign victims as to South Korean dead and injured people. He also thanked many world leaders for sending condolence messages over the disaster.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133039658/south-koreas-prime-minister-and-police-admit-failures-leading-to-halloween-trage
Investigation of a large crowd in Itaewon, South Korea: police and local authorities investigate the death of 156 killed in the day of the pandemic
The Itaewon area, known for its expat-friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere, is the country’s hottest spot for Halloween-themed events and parties, with young South Koreans taking part in costume competitions at bars, clubs and restaurants. Itaewon was the site of the largest Halloween celebration since the beginning of the Pandemic.
The raids came a day after the national agency acknowledged that police didn’t act for hours despite receiving at least 11 emergency calls from pedestrians, warning of a surge in Halloween revelers near the Hamilton Hotel.
The special investigation unit of the national agency was getting documents from police stations and offices in Yongsan and elsewhere. Local officials and police have faced sharp questions about why they didn’t employ crowd controls or sufficient personnel in the small nightlife district despite anticipating a crowd of 100,000 following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.
The head of the Yongsan ward office and the interior minister of South Korea have all apologized for their actions.
On Wednesday, 156 people were confirmed as dead and 157 were treated for injuries after they were trampled in a crowd surge in a narrow alley between a hotel and a row of storefronts.