INVESTIGATION EXPANDS TO HIGHER RANKS

[Anchor Lead]

Special investigators have launched a compulsory investigation into the Interior Ministry and Seoul City Hall in relation to the Itaewon crowd crush. The probe, which was initially limited to police, fire authorities and the local district ward, has finally been expanded to higher organs. However, the interior minister's office was not subject to raid on Thursday.

[Pkg]

The special investigation headquarters raided three places on Thursday. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's National Disaster and Safety Status Control Center was the first to be raided. The center collects and transmits disaster information from police and fire authorities. The ministry's Seoul situation center and the office of the official in charge of safety management were also included for the same reason. However, the minister's office was not subject to raid. Lee Sang-min has been booked for investigation as a suspect after the unionized firefighters filed a complaint against him, but the special investigators have not included the minister in the list of those subject to compulsory investigation as they plan to investigate plaintiffs first. They are still conducting a legal review of Lee's authority over police command and disaster management. The investigators are expanding the probe based on the seized materials and looking into problems in the Interior Ministry's response before and after the disaster. Seoul Metropolitan Government was the second to be raided. Eight of its departments including the one in charge of safety management were searched on Thursday. If Seoul Metropolitan government is found to have committed negligence, the probe could expand to Mayor Oh Se-hoon. The investigators also searched the Seoul metropolitan government's Municipal Police Council, which allegedly failed to take preventative measures after receiving a report on Halloween festivities' safety control from the Yongsan Police Station. The compulsory investigation was launched three days after officials from the Interior Ministry and the Seoul metropolitan government were summoned as witnesses. But nearly 20 days have already passed since the Itaewon tragedy and two weeks since the Yongsan-gu District Ward, the Yongsan Police Station and the Yongsan Fire Department were raided first.