BREAKING: South Korean police officer under investigation over Seoul Halloween stampede tragedy found dead

The police officer who was under investigation following the fatal Halloween stampede that killed more than 150 in the South Korean capital of Seoul was found dead in his home.

A 55-year-old South Korean police officer who had been placed under investigation following the fatal Halloween stampede that occurred in Seoul last month, was found dead today, Friday, November 11.

An official from the National Police Agency confirmed the discovery of Jeong’s body to the AFP news agency. The cop was identified only by his surname Jeong, with the official reporting that the officer’s lifeless body was found at his home.

156 people lost their lives in the tragic crush that took place in the Itaewon neighbourhood of the capital city on the evening of October 29. Following the incident, many questions were raised questioning the response time of the police. 

Jeong was an intelligence officer based at the Yongsan Police Station which oversees Itaewon, and his office had subsequently been placed under investigation. Among the accusations levelled at his department was one of botching crowd control on the night.

According to the Yonhap news agency, Jeong had been responsible for destroying a vital intelligence report. The document had allegedly warned his office in advance about potential accidents or other situations that might occur during the Halloween festivities, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

During a parliamentary session last Monday 7, General Yoon Hee-keun, the National Police Commissioner, urged the punishment and arrest of those involved in deleting the relevant documents. He accused Yongsan police station’s intelligence chief of issuing the order to destroy the records and said that an investigation would be launched.

It came to light in the days following the tragedy that the Seoul police had failed to act immediately after receiving emergency calls from members of the public warning them of a potential accident. According to transcripts of emergency calls released by the police earlier this month, it took them up to four hours to respond after receiving the initial warnings about dangerous crowd congestion in Itaewon.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.