Former Seoul Mayor Kim Kwang-ho was acquitted of the first trial of the "Itaewon disaster.""It's hard to predict the disaster".

[Anchor]
The first trial court acquitted Kim Kwang-ho, former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who is accused of poor response during the Itaewon disaster, where 159 people died.

The head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which has jurisdiction over the entire city, has no choice but to rely on information reports from the front, so it was difficult to predict the disaster.

I'll connect you to a reporter. Reporter Yoon Woong Sung!

Please explain the basis for the judgment of the court in detail.

[Reporter]
Yes, the Seoul Western District Court acquitted Kim Kwang-ho, the former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, of charges of professional negligence and other injuries.

Kim is the highest-ranking police official suspected of responding to the Itaewon disaster.

The court judged that the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which has jurisdiction over the entire city, had no choice but to rely on information reports from Yongsan Police Station, a front-line office, and that it was not possible to specifically grasp the information that large-scale casualties may occur or that preparations are needed.

"It is not easy to say that it is unrealistic or abstract for former Commissioner Kim to order preliminary measures in various functions as well as the Department of Life Safety," he said. "It is difficult to say that there is a strict dereliction of duty under the criminal law."

In particular, he added that considering the fact that he ordered the police task force to be dispatched immediately after recognizing the accident, it is hard to say that the incident and accident have expanded due to Kim Kwang-ho, former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Ryu Mi-jin, former head of personnel education department at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Jeong Dae-kyung, former head of the 112 situation team, who were also put on trial at the time of the disaster, were also acquitted.

It is difficult to say that former section chief Ryu worked outside the situation room on the day of the disaster, and that he was at fault in his work, but he judged that it is difficult to prevent the occurrence of casualties.

Former situation team leader Chung also spread the zero code report to Yongsan Police Station, but it was difficult to recognize whether there was a safety accident because Yongsan Police officers who were dispatched from the scene reported it as a closure.

Earlier, the prosecution demanded a five-year prison term for former Commissioner Kim, saying that he did not deploy appropriate police forces even though he predicted a situation of 100,000 people in Itaewon during Halloween Day 2022.

I asked the court to impose three years and two and a half years in prison to former manager Ryu and former team leader Chung, who are suspected of similar charges.Before and after the trial, former Commissioner

Kim and others did not respond to reporters' questions about whether to admit the charges.

The bereaved families, who have been picking up the relay in front of the court calling for strict punishment from former Commissioner Kim since two days ago, continued to protest today.

When Kim was acquitted, he burst into tears, saying he could not understand the ruling, and the trial was suspended in the middle of the process.

I'm YTN Yoon Woong Sung.