Subway official didn't make trains pass through Itaewon, says probe

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Subway official didn't make trains pass through Itaewon, says probe

Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station covering the Itaewon district in central Seoul, comes out of a court hearing on Monday [NEWS1]

Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station covering the Itaewon district in central Seoul, comes out of a court hearing on Monday [NEWS1]

 
An official from Seoul Metro who apparently ignored an order to consider making subway trains pass through Itaewon station without stopping on the night of the deadly Halloween crowd crush was questioned Monday, police said.
 
The National Police Agency's special investigation unit said Monday it called in three more people to be questioned, including the head of metro services and safety center of Dongmyo at Seoul Metro, who is surnamed Lee. He was responsible for directing and supervising the Itaewon Station stationmaster, who is charged with professional negligence.
 
Lee oversees stations between Hyochang Park and Bonghwasan Station on Seoul Metro line 6, which includes Itaewon.
 
Lee is charged with failing to comply with a superior's order to consider having trains pass through Itaewon Station without stopping on Oct. 29, when 158 people were killed.
 
On Oct. 29, about 40,000 people got off at Itaewon Station from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the four hours before the fatal crowd crush, according to the special investigative unit. The crowd crush fatalities took place at around 10:20 p.m.
 
There were 8,068 passengers using Itaewon Station from 5 to 6 p.m., 10,747 people from 6 to 7 p.m., 11,873 people from 7 to 8 p.m., 11,666 people from 8 to 9 p.m. and 9,285 people from 9 to 10 p.m.
 
“We believe that it is one of the main causes of the crowd surge at the site [near Itaewon Station Exit No. 1],” said Kim Dong-wook, a spokesman for the special investigative unit.
 
Seoul Metro declined to confirm to the Korea JoongAng Daily what time the request to consider having trains pass through Itaewon Station was made.
 
Lee went to work at Itaewon Station on Oct. 29 and not to his office in Dongmyo but failed to take preventive measures, according to the special investigative unit.
 
In addition, the police called in for questioning Monday the director of the Yongsan public health center, who is surnamed Choi, who allegedly lied about when she arrived on the scene. Yongsan covers the Itaewon area.
 
Choi arrived at the scene after midnight, but stated in a report that she commanded rescue activities at around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 29.
 
Police also called in the team leader of the 112 police emergency hotline in Yongsan Police Station.  
 
The team leader was in charge of handling 112 reports in the situation room of Yongsan Police Station, but was charged with professional negligence.
 
Meanwhile, a Seoul court opened deliberations on possible arrests of four senior police officers charged with failing to properly respond to the crowd crush. This includes Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station, who is charged with failing to take preventive measures and deleting an internal intelligence report.
 
A decision on whether they will be arrested is expected late Monday night or early Tuesday.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
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