Police chain of command didn't work on Halloween

Big flaws in how the police report bad news up the chain of command are coming to light in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush that took at least 156 lives.

President Yoon Suk-yeol pays respects at a mourning altar for victims of the Itaewon tragedy at Seoul Plaza, near City Hall, in central Seoul Thursday. This was the fourth consecutive day he visited a mourning altar. [NEWS1]

Big flaws in how the police report bad news up the chain of command are coming to light in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush that took at least 156 lives.

On Thursday, the National Police Agency (NPA) began a probe into the chief of the Yongsan Police Station and a senior officer of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after accusing them of negligence on the night of disaster, especially about informing their superiors of the gravity of the situation.

There was no shortage of riot police nearby the scene of the tragedy. Over 4,800 officers were in locations in downtown Seoul controlling rallies earlier Saturday.

Over 1,100 police officers were controlling rallies near the Yongsan presidential office that day — just 1.6 kilometers, or less than a mile, from the tragedy site.

Additional police forces only arrived on the scene at around 11:20 p.m., an hour after the tragedy occurred, according to the the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Some 60 riot police who had been on 24-hour standby near the Yongsan presidential office were the first to arrive.

Until then, some 20 officers in charge of traffic management dispatched around 9:30 p.m.

The Yongsan Police Precinct claims it told the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency it needed additional forces when discussing security measures for Halloween. The Seoul police agency claims there was no such official request. Instead, police forces were dispatched to 21 rallies held in Seoul that day and none to regulate the Halloween celebrations in Itaewon.

A flawed system for how lower-level officers report up the chain of command may have contributed to the slow response and chaos on the night of Oct. 29.

Around 130,000 people gathered in Itaewon last Saturday and overcrowding in the narrow alleys behind and next to the Hamilton Hotel in Yongsan District, central Seoul led to the carnage at around 10:15 p.m.

Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency (NPA), said Wednesday he received an initial report at 12:14 a.m. on Sunday, two hours after the killings.

Why did it take so long for the police chief to be notified?

Lee Im-jae, chief of the Yongsan Police Station, first reported to Kim Gwang-ho, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, of the situation at 11:36 p.m. Saturday.

While Lee had arrived at the disaster site in Itaewon at around 10:17 p.m. Saturday, minutes after many deaths, he called Seoul police chief Kim over an hour later.

Commissioner General Yoon was finally briefed by the NPA at 12:14 a.m. on Sunday.

The NPA said that Yoon then ordered the maximum mobilization of experienced police officers, including the riot police, and reinforcement of traffic control to make way for ambulances.

Yoon is said to have given the same orders over the phone to Seoul police chief Kim at 12:19 a.m.

Kim arrived at the scene at around 12:25 a.m. Sunday.

In contrast, the presidential office was notified of the situation in Itaewon at 10:53 p.m. Saturday by the National Fire Agency — not the police.

President Yoon Suk-yeol was briefed on the situation at 11:01 p.m. by the National Security Office (NSO) after security officials judged the situation to be unusual, according to Lee Jae-myoung, deputy spokesman of the presidential office.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min first learned about the situation around 11:20 p.m. from his secretariat rather than the police or firefighter authorities.

President Yoon made his first orders to respond to the Itaewon tragedy at 11:21 p.m. Saturday.

The NPA only notified the presidential office at around 12:05 a.m. Sunday, nine minutes before reporting to the police chief.

President Yoon convened an emergency response meeting at 12:41 a.m. Sunday.

Public outrage mounted after police transcripts released Tuesday revealed that 11 calls were made to its 112 emergency hotline between 6:34 p.m. and 10:11 p.m. Saturday by people reporting overcrowding in the area, giving police plenty of time to respond.

The police came under fire for snubbing calls, at least six which specifically mentioned fears of being "crushed." The first call came four hours before the disaster but the police didn't do much to regulate the crowds.

On Wednesday, a special police investigation team raided eight locations related to the incident including the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Yongsan Police Station as part of a probe into the botched police response.

On Thursday, the National Police Agency decided to request a probe into Lee, chief of the Yongsan Police Station, and Superintendent Ryu Mi-jin, a situation monitoring officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the night of the incident for alleged neglect of duties.

Reports up the police chain of command were delayed at a critical time.

The NPA's special investigation team accused Lee, who was responsible for overseeing the scene as the chief of the police station in charge of the accident site, of arriving late, being negligent in his duties and slow to report to superiors.

Ryu likewise was accused of being slow to realize the seriousness of the situation and negligent in management duties and reporting to superiors. Ryu, despite being on duty, was not in the situation room at the time of the disaster, according to the special investigation team.

Both Lee and Ryu have been removed from their duties.

However, some critics are skeptical of police investigating their own botched response to the Itaewon disaster and worry that they will shift the blame to lower level front-line officers.

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon could launch a special prosecution probe over the Itaewon disaster, according to sources in legal circles Thursday.

Although the police have already launched a special investigation team, there are concerns about conflict of interest and fairness as the main target is the police themselves.

On Thursday, President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed aides to set up a "one-stop" support center for the families of victims to continue to receive medical and other assistance after the national mourning period ends Saturday.

The center will be run by the Prime Minister's Office and continue to provide support for funeral arrangements, treatment for injured victims, payment of relief funds and psychological therapy and trauma recovery, said deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung in a press briefing.

Earlier that day, President Yoon paid his respects at a mourning altar for victims of the Itaewon tragedy for the fourth straight day.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]