Police officers are seen at a memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush near Noksapyeong Station in Itaewon, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Gov't to launch task force to develop safety measures to prevent mass crowd incidents

By Nam Hyun-woo

Criticism of the police and Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun is intensifying as records and internal documents point to their lack of response to Saturday's Itaewon crowd crush.

During a party meeting, Wednesday, ruling People Power Party interim leader Chung Jin-suk said that the truth should be revealed as to why police failed to take appropriate measures to prevent the disaster.

"There were 12 emergency calls before the crush," Chung said. "Police officers were dispatched to the site four times, but why they didn't take sufficient on-site measures, such as bringing in the riot police, should be revealed and responsibility properly taken."

Chung's comments came after the National Police Agency (NPA) disclosed the transcripts of 11 emergency calls it received from 6:34 p.m. to 10:11 p.m., Saturday. Just four minutes after the last emergency call, the accident took place, killing 156 people and injuring 152 who were enjoying Halloween festivities there as of Wednesday.

In the transcripts, callers described the situation as a serious emergency, saying, "I am being crushed," "We need help immediately," "It is very dangerous," and, "This could be a major disaster." However, the police sent officers in response to only four of the calls, and dismissed the others without dispatching any other officers.

Local broadcaster SBS reported that an officer at Yongsan Police Station, which includes Itaewon, filed a report on safety risks several days before the Halloween event took place there, but the report was not reflected in the police control plan for Saturday night.

Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun bows as he apologizes for the police's lack of response to the Itaewon crowd crush during a press conference at the National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The NPA commissioner general admitted that the police response to the situation was "insufficient" and said he will "make excruciating efforts to reveal the truth," but the government is also now changing its stance and asking for the police to take responsibility for the tragedy.