Mourning, reflection, holding accountable, questioning, controversy... A few days after the stampede accident in Itaewon, South Korea, which shocked the world, the information surrounding this tragedy remains the focus of South Korean public opinion.
November 1, South Korean President Yoon Seo-yeol went to the mourning place located in the Lushaping Station Square in Yongsan District, Seoul to mourn the victims in the accident. He wrote in his condolence book: "The sadness and sorrow in my heart are uncontrollable, and we will do our best to avoid a similar tragedy happening again."
(Seoul citizens are mourning the victims. Source: Yonhap News Agency)
According to South Korea's "Joint Ilbo" report on November 1, with the death of two seriously injured people, the Seoul Municipal Police Department announced that as of the 1st, the number of victims in the Halloween stampede accident in Itaewon increased to 156.
No matter how the officials apologize or cry, the lost life can never return, and the tragedy has become a certain fact. Who should I hold
accountable? Why did the Itaewon tragedy happen? Question marks linger in the sad haze of Seoul.
Reason 1: Insufficient security personnel?
November 1, South Korean Prime Minister Han Dezhu announced the cause of the stampede accident. He said that the stampede in was caused by insufficient security personnel and lack of systems.
South Korea's "Pioneer Economy" said that on the day of the incident, there were 137 policemen in the area around Itaewon , but there were only 32 policemen responsible for maintaining order and security management.
At the same time, Yonhap News Agency quoted public information from South Korea's police on the 1st that the Itaewon stampede accident occurred 4 hours before the accident. The police received a total of 11 calls from the police, but did not respond effectively. In response to 11 cases of police calls, the police only dispatched 4 times to evacuate the crowds at the scene, and six more times did not take any measures on the grounds that "there are already dispatched police officers at the scene."
In response, Director of the Korean Police Department , Yoon Hee-gun apologized to the public on the 1st and admitted that the police failed to deal with the stampede accident effectively. Regarding the citizens who were hit hard by the accident, he said that the police felt a great responsibility. Yoon Hee-gen said that the police will conduct high-intensity investigations on all aspects involved in the accident without exception, find out the truth of the accident and clarify the responsibility. Yoon Hee-gen also said that the police received many reports of dangerous situations before the accident, but the on-site response measures were not in place, and the relevant details will be made public.
It is reported that the South Korean police currently plan to investigate with 11 police officers who call the police. If they find any illegal situation of malfeasance or preparation of false documents, the police will go through judicial procedures.
Reason 2: Missing system?
Regarding the cause of the accident, South Korean Prime Minister Han De-soo also mentioned that the government lacks sufficient institutional support and systematic efforts in public management. Regarding the media’s question on whether the South Korean government is responsible, Han De-soo emphasized that the police are still investigating and will be announced and held accountable after the results are released. After the tragedy of
, the Korean Minzu News said that although more people gathered in the Itaewon area, neither local autonomous groups nor police took additional measures such as increasing security manpower. The police only deployed 200 people in the name of responding to drug cases and sexual crimes, and the Longshan District Department did not formulate a safety management plan or require road control.
In addition, South Korea's largest opposition party questioned Yoon Seok-yeol, and he was responsible for this accident. The Democratic Party of the Communist Party of China said that the Longshan Police Department will send 700 police forces to protect Yoon Seo-yeo every day, so there is no sufficient police force allocation on Halloween.
(Yin Seo-yue. Photo from: Xinhua News Agency)
According to South Korea's "Jingxiang News", on October 29, the passenger flow of Itaewon Station of Seoul Metro Line 6 exceeded 130,000, more than three times that of last Saturday, and an increase of 30% compared with the same period before the epidemic.
South Korean police revealed that the stampede occurred in a narrow alley next to the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewondong Center. This alley is a slope about 45 meters long and 3.2 meters wide. The stampede accident occurred in the area about 5.7 meters long. At that time, there were more than 300 people in this space of about 18 square meters.
According to Korean media reports, many people have begun to criticize the Seoul Municipal Government and Yongsan District Department for not taking early warnings and response measures for accidents. The Seoul Municipal Government admitted on October 30 that "the municipal government has not formulated special countermeasures for Halloween events." Yongsan District held a relevant meeting, but did not involve the safety management of crowd gatherings.
Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon apologized to citizens for the stampede in Itaewon on November 1. Wu Sehun burst into tears when he spoke. He said, "As the mayor of Seoul who is responsible for the lives and safety of citizens, I bear unlimited responsibility for the accident. I sincerely apologize to the citizens." Wu Sehun said that he will do his best to help the relatives of the victims, the injured, and all citizens who are sad to return to their daily life.
On the same day, South Korean Minister of Interior and Security Lee Sang-min publicly apologized to the Korean people. He said, "As the chief of the department responsible for national security, I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere apology to the public."
Reason 3: Someone deliberately pushed? After the accident, many witnesses posted online that a man wearing a rabbit headdress was deliberately pushing and shoving in the crowd at the scene.
A survivor of this accident said in an interview with reporters that the flow of people at the scene was very dense and he heard someone say "push" and "we push hard here."
. According to " East Asia Ilbo " on November 1, a man identified as a "rabbit ear headdress" online said that he had left the scene before the accident and made a complaint through social media. According to reports, the man posted on social media that "My friend and I are being identified as the culprit of the Halloween accident. But at the time of the accident, my friend and I had left Itaewon." At the same time, he sent out details of his traffic card, which contained records of taking the subway at Itaewon Station at 9:55 pm and getting off at Heijing Station at around 10:17 pm.
Regarding netizens' speculation, South Korean police plan to investigate all those who shouted "push" at the scene and those who locked the store in the stampede accident. The Criminal Director of the Department of Police said that judicial treatment will be carried out based on the results of the investigation. Now in the stage of studying the credibility of eyewitness statements, no criminal suspects can be found that can be investigated.
Reason 4: Celebrities appear?
Regarding the tragedy of Itaewon, a Korean Internet rumored that a star appeared in Itaewon that night, causing a crowd to suddenly pour into the alley where the incident occurred.
According to South Korea's "Joong Ilbo" on October 31, a Korean anchor named Park Joong-gyu (transliteration) became the "star" in people's words, but he denied the rumor.
(Photo by Park Jong-gyu. Photo source: "Joint Ilbo")
Park Jong-gyu posted on his live broadcast platform AfreecaTV, saying: "Before writing this article, I want to express condolences to the victims. This is so heartbreaking. Many people are saying that the cause of the accident was because of me. I believe that those who have watched my live broadcast will understand that these people are actually spreading unreasonable false facts." After
, it was confirmed that Park Jong-gyu did live broadcast with his companions in Itaewon that night, but the live broadcast ended immediately after the crowd was crowded.
In addition, a Korean star who often engages in Itaewon Yoo Ya-in is suspected. Its agency issued an emergency statement on November 1, saying that Yoo Yaren was not in South Korea at all on the day of the incident.
Regardless of the final investigation results of the Korean side, the occurrence of the Itaewon tragedy has become a fact. For Yoon Seok-young's government, the lessons learned from this disaster are permanent.
Professor Martin Amos of Northumbria University in the UK said that if South Korean authorities do not take appropriate measures to predict, detect and prevent dangerous high population density, such incidents may continue to occur.
(Comprehensive text: Xinhua News Agency , CCTV News, Global Times , China News Network , Overseas Network, Pengpai News , etc.)
