S. Korea launches probe into Halloween tragedy in Itaewon

South Korean police have opened a probe into the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, on Saturday evening, to find causes of one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters that claimed the lives of 155 people, while the government is seeking to provide the deceased and injured people and their families financial and psychological supports.

“We will work with full force to determine the cause of the tragic incident in Itaewon,” said Nam Koo-joon, head of national investigation office of National Police Agency, in a press conference Monday. “We are looking into all footages, including videos uploaded on social media.”

The police are collecting footage from closed-circuit TV cameras in the streets and social media to get facts on how a stampede in the narrow alley led to so many deaths.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has deployed 475 officers to determine the cause of the incident in the Itaewon neighborhood in Seoul on Saturday evening when more than 100,000 party-goers gathered to celebrate Halloween without any Covid-19 social restrictions for the first time in three years. A sudden surge of crowds in one of the narrow downhill alleys near the Hamilton Hotel led to one of the most fatal crushing accidents in the country’s history that left 155 dead ? mostly in their 20s ? from suffocation and 152 injured.

According to the police, 44 people have been investigated as of Monday and no one has yet been charged. The police on Monday precisely identified the accident scene and secured 52 CCTV footages from nearby buildings.

Authorities will investigate people suspected to have caused chaos that night by chanting “Push! Push!” as they pressed down the slope, based on witness accounts. The police will also investigate merchants in the alley that were said to blocked people from entering buildings to avoid being crushed by the crowd.

Based on the investigation results, the authorities may take “judicial actions” against those believed to have instigated others to push.

On Monday, President Yoon Suk-yeol said the government will revamp the country’s safety system to allow the police to control crowds gathering without sponsors and organizers.

But the government and authorities are also criticized for the lack of their preparations for possible huge gatherings in Itaewon on the Halloween weekend without Covid-19 restrictions for the first time in three years despite the police’s earlier prediction.

Yongsan police ahead of the weekend Halloween festivity in Itaewon said it would deploy 200 police officers. Only 137 however were deployed on Saturday evening. The police later explained that it meant to deploy 200 officers during the three-day Halloween period.

Some legal experts said the victims could also try to sue for damages from the government for failing to prevent the disaster.

The police identified all of the 155 deaths, according to Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Monday. Of the people that died ? 100 were women and 55 men. By age, 103 were in their 20s, 31 in 30s, 12 in teens, 8 in 40s, and one in 50s. Twenty six were foreigners from 14 countries including Iran, China, Russia, and the U.S.

The Korean government plans to provide 20 million won ($14,015) in compensation to the families of the bereaved ? up to 10 million won to those injured ? and up to 15 million won in funeral expenses. They will also provide counselling services for the victims’ families and those on the scene.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also working to support foreign casualties just as Koreans under the country’s basic act on disaster and safety management, its Minister Park Jin told lawmakers on Monday.

It has set up a group memorial altar in 17 cities and provinces across the country for public condolences until Nov. 5 when the week-long national mourning period ends.

The government in the meantime has asked people to refrain from posting videos of the crowd crush on Saturday and indiscriminately spreading personal information online of the deceased and warned of police action and criminal punishment.

By Kang Young-woon, Park Hong-joo, Shin Hye-rim, Woo Je-yoon, and Lee Eun-joo

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