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Many Koreans continue to pay their respects Monday to the 154 people who died in Saturday’s deadly stampede in Seoul. But questions begin to arise from a shocked and furious public demanding answers about the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
In the narrow streets of the Itaewon district, emotion continues to reign between bouquets of flowers and tributes to the victims. But anger begins to show after the deadly stampede in Seoul. “Every year, we know there are Halloween parties in Itaewon. It’s hard to say, but I think if the government had been prepared enough, it wouldn’t have happened,” a woman in her 30s told RFI correspondent Nicolas Rocca. in Seoul.
The question of responsibility is now raised on social networks, as well as in the local media, where criticism flies about the lack of anticipation of the authorities.
“The four factors that explain the tragic wave of people in Itaewon are: the absence of an organizing body, the poor police and crowd control presence, the pent-up demand to go out on the streets, and the narrow and steep streets,” he said. in its Monday edition of The Korea Herald.
The head of the public order section of the national police admitted on Monday that his department could not predict how dangerous the situation was. Police only deployed 137 officers to Itaewon on Saturday night to deal with more than 100,000 revelers, a far higher number than previous Halloween parties, the senior law enforcement official said. But local media outlets noted that most of the officers were there to prevent drug use, not to channel the crowd.
The profile of the victims, who were young and dressed up to celebrate Halloween, a very popular holiday in South Korea, is also questionable. This 2022 edition was the first real festive event in the country since the relaxation of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. The head of law enforcement for the National Police Corps acknowledged Monday that his department was unable to predict how dangerous the situation was, in response to widespread criticism of the scant police presence on the night of the disaster.
Determine the exact cause of the tragedy
However, the South Korean police are experts in crowd control, in a country where the numerous and frequent demonstrations often have more officers than participants.
Any event that could attract at least 1,000 people must be declared to the authorities at least 30 days in advance, so that the police and firefighters can analyze the project and decide on the necessary protection measures. This is the case of political or union demonstrations, but not of these young people who came spontaneously to participate in large numbers and in a disorderly manner in the Itaewon Halloween party.
Law enforcement announced Monday that they had created an investigation team that was reviewing surveillance camera footage from nearby businesses and interviewing dozens of witnesses in an effort to determine the exact cause of the tragedy. A task force of 561 members was created, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
The day after the tragedy, the South Korean president promised to launch a “rigorous” investigation into the circumstances of the stampede.
The catastrophe left 154 dead, including 26 foreigners, according to the latest official report, which could be even higher, with at least 33 critically injured.
