YONGSAN-GU DISTRICT CHIEF ARRESTED

[Anchor Lead]

Yongsan-gu District Office chief Park Hee-young has been put into jail for not responding properly before and after the Itaewon tragedy, which took away the lives of 159 people. The court explained that the warrant was issued because the allegation against her has been confirmed and there is a risk of evidence destruction. With the first imprisonment of an elected official, the probe into the tragedy is likely to speed up.

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Yongsan-gu District Office chief Park Hee-young is accused of incurring additional losses by not responding properly before and after the Itaewon crowd crush.

[Soundbite] Park Hee-young(Yongsan-gu Dist. Office chief(Dec. 26)) : "(Why did you replace your mobile phone?) ..."

The court questioned Park for nearly three hours before issuing an arrest warrant for her. This is the first time an elected official was arrested in association with the Itaewon tragedy. The court explained that the warrant was issued because the allegation against her has been confirmed and there is a risk of evidence destruction. Apparently, the court accepted the special investigation team's reasoning that when an event with a large crowd is scheduled, the local government is responsible for primary safety management. The team also confirmed the circumstance of changing her mobile phone and trying to destroy evidence after the tragedy, which also gave grounds for the arrest warrant. Choi Won-jun, a Yongsangu District Office official in charge of safety, was also arrested. Choi is accused of dereliction of duty for attending a private drinking party on the day of the crush and going home without visiting the site even after becoming aware of the tragedy. Special investigators maintained the so-called joint principal offenders theory, arguing that the compounded errors of several agencies exacerbated the disaster. The probe is likely to speed up as former Yongsan Police Station captain Lee Im-jae and key officials of the Yongsangu District Office were detained earlier. The special investigation team also plans to request an arrest warrant for Yongsan Fire Station chief Choi Seong-beom, who commanded the on-site response measures that day. Authorities will soon announce an interim report that includes the results of detaining key suspects and the detailed analysis of what had caused the crowd crush.