A South Korean court has sentenced three police officers to prison for their handling of the 2022 Halloween riots in Seoul's red-light district that left 159 people dead.
Monday's conviction is the first for authorities' failure to prevent or adequately respond to overcrowding in the popular Itaewon district. No government officials have been indicted or held accountable, leading to growing criticism from family members and opposition politicians.
The clash was one of South Korea's worst peacetime disasters and caused an outpouring of grief across the country. Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s and had gathered in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.
The Seoul Western District Court sentenced Lee Im-jae, former chief of Seoul's Yongsan Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Itaewon, to three years in prison. Another Yongsan police officer was sentenced to two years in prison, and the third officer was sentenced to two years' probation.
Three police officers were found guilty of professional negligence resulting in death. The court ruled that the collision was not a natural disaster and that the three officers should have properly prepared for the crowd, promptly warned other officers of the danger, and properly supervised other officers. The court ruled that the toll could have been prevented or the toll could have been reduced.
Both police officers and prosecutors can appeal.
The court also acquitted Yongsan District Office Mayor Park Hee-young and three other district employees. The report said district officials were unlikely to have the legal right to control or disperse crowds.
Family members criticized the acquittal of Park and other district officials. “Does this have any meaning? It's completely unacceptable,” said Lee Jeong-min, a representative of the family.
In early 2023, a special police investigation concluded that despite huge numbers of people expected to visit Itaewon, police and city officials failed to develop effective crowd control measures. Investigators say police ignored hotline calls from pedestrians warning of the growing crowds before the surge turned deadly.
Co-authored with Associated Press
