A South Korean court has sentenced Lee Im-jae, the former police chief of Yongsan district in Seoul, to three years in prison for his role in mishandling the response to the 2022 Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon. This incident, which claimed 159 lives, marked a significant tragedy in the country.
The court found that Lee failed to properly prepare for the large crowds that gathered in Itaewon during Halloween, which contributed to the disaster. His conviction makes him the first senior police official held accountable for the event.
The Itaewon disaster drew parallels to past tragedies in South Korea, most notably the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, where 304 lives were lost, including 250 schoolchildren. In addition to Lee’s sentence, two other Yongsan police officials were also punished.
One received a two-year jail term, while the other’s one-year prison term was suspended. The court labeled the Itaewon crush as a “man-made disaster” that could have been avoided or mitigated had the officials acted responsibly in their roles.
Former Yongsan Police Chief Sentenced to Three Years for Mishandling Itaewon Crowd Crush Response
However, Lee’s defense argued that it was unreasonable to hold him solely responsible for an event that, they claim, was unpredictable. His lawyer stated that the punishment was “excessively harsh,” considering that Lee couldn’t have anticipated the scale of the crowd or the resulting chaos.
Meanwhile, Yongsan district office chief Park Hee-young and three other officials were acquitted of failing to respond properly, as the court determined they were not directly responsible for managing the crowd.
Victims’ families, ahead of the court’s ruling, expressed their desire for both Lee and Park to be held accountable. The loss of life from the Itaewon crowd crush has spurred relatives of the victims to demand justice and accountability from government officials.
Their calls for responsibility have extended beyond Lee and Park, as they have also pushed for the punishment of higher-ranking officials, including Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, though attempts to impeach him were blocked last year.
In a broader push for accountability, prosecutors initially sought seven-year prison terms for both Lee and Park. Earlier this year, South Korea’s parliament passed a bill supported by both ruling and opposition parties to reopen investigations into the Halloween disaster.
The new investigation signals ongoing efforts to ensure that all those responsible for the Itaewon crowd crush are held accountable, reflecting the public’s desire for justice.
