Court grants bail for Yongsan District Office chief

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Court grants bail for Yongsan District Office chief

Park Hee-young, center, head of the Yongsan District Office, arrives at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 26, 2022, to attend a hearing for a pre-trial detention warrant. [NEWS1]

Park Hee-young, center, head of the Yongsan District Office, arrives at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 26, 2022, to attend a hearing for a pre-trial detention warrant. [NEWS1]

 
A court on Wednesday granted bail for Park Hee-young, the chief of the Yongsan District Office, five months after she was indicted and detained on charges of professional negligence resulting in last year's Itaewon crowd crush.
 
The Seoul Western District Court accepted Park’s bail request on multiple conditions, including the payment of a bail deposit of 50 million won ($38,000) and the requirement to stay at a designated residence. Park was arrested on Dec. 26, 2022.  
 
She is accused of failing to prepare safety and accident prevention measures in Itaewon during the Halloween weekend and inappropriately responding to the incident. 
 
She is also suspected of asking employees to falsify and distribute press releases about her arrival time at the incident site in Itaewon.
 
The crowd crush on the night of Oct. 29 led to the death of 158 people, with a teen survivor taking his own life shortly after.
 
Park requested a review of the legality of custody as she was turned over to the prosecution on Jan. 3, which was dismissed.  
 
She then filed for bail last month, citing that she is suffering from mental disorders and has the right to defend herself.
 
“Park is currently being treated for the shock she received from the incident and the stress that was caused while she dealt with the accident,” Park’s attorney was quoted as saying during a bail review held last Friday.
 
Park’s attorney explained she is suffering from insomnia, nightmares, anxiety and panic attacks.
 
The court on the same day granted bail for the head of the district office’s safety and disaster division Choi Won-jun, who was also arrested on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.


Choi is accused of a poor initial response to the incident and neglecting follow-up measures, resulting in an increased loss of life. 
 
He is also charged with dereliction of duty.
 
According to the police, Choi was out drinking with his friends on the night of the tragedy and failed to go to the scene even after receiving multiple notifications. He is said to have stopped by Itaewon Station later that night but went straight home without taking any action to deal with the aftermath.
 
Park and Choi, who were detained at the Seoul Southern Detention Center, will be released as early as Wednesday and face trial.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
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