A South Korean court has acquitted Seoul’s former police chief, Kim Kwang-ho, of negligence in connection with the deadly Halloween crowd crush that claimed 159 lives in the bustling Itaewon district in October 2022. The tragedy, which unfolded in one of Seoul’s most popular nightlife areas, left the nation in shock and raised serious concerns about public safety and the accountability of authorities during mass gatherings.
The court’s decision, delivered on Thursday, stated that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Kim had neglected his duties both in the lead-up to the incident and during the initial response. This ruling effectively cleared Kim, who was the highest-ranking official charged in the aftermath of the disaster, of criminal liability.
The Halloween crush occurred on the night of October 29, 2022, when tens of thousands of people—many of them young revelers dressed in costumes—gathered in Itaewon to celebrate the holiday. Itaewon is famous for its narrow, winding streets packed with restaurants, bars, and clubs, and it was in one of these alleyways that the tragedy unfolded.
According to witnesses, the alley quickly became overcrowded, with little space to move, leading to panic and a fatal crush as people were pushed and trampled. The victims, most of them in their 20s and 30s, died of asphyxiation, suffocation, or crush injuries. The horror of the night unfolded in real-time on social media, sending shockwaves across South Korea and the world.
In the immediate aftermath, questions swirled about how such a tragedy could have happened in one of the world’s most developed and safety-conscious nations. Critics pointed to a lack of crowd control measures, inadequate police presence, and slow emergency responses, all of which they said contributed to the scale of the disaster.
Kim Kwang-ho, who was serving as the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at the time of the tragedy, was seen by many as a symbol of the government’s failure to prevent the incident. His position made him the highest-ranking law enforcement official responsible for overseeing public safety in the capital, including during large-scale events like Halloween in Itaewon.
Kim was charged with negligence in early 2023, more than a year after the event, a move that some saw as an attempt to hold senior officials accountable. However, Thursday’s ruling from the Seoul court found that the prosecution’s case against Kim was insufficient. The court argued that there was no clear evidence to show that Kim had failed in his duties or that his actions—or lack thereof—directly led to the tragedy.
The court’s decision has reignited outrage among the victims’ families and segments of the public. Many believed that senior officials, including Kim, should bear greater responsibility for the disaster. The families of the victims, in a joint statement, expressed their deep disappointment with the ruling, stating, “The court missed an opportunity to reflect on the gravity of the responsibility of public officials to protect the lives and safety of the public.”
In the hours following the verdict, victims’ families and supporters gathered outside the courthouse to protest the decision, demanding justice for their loved ones. They called on prosecutors to appeal the ruling and voiced concerns that the government and judicial system were failing to adequately punish those responsible.
“The prosecution’s weak investigation and the court’s passive interpretation of the law have delayed the punishment of those responsible for the tragedy and violated the rights of victims once again,” the families said in their statement. Their outrage mirrors the deep frustration felt by many South Koreans who believe that the country’s political and legal systems often allow powerful individuals to escape accountability.
The families were particularly critical of the fact that Kim Kwang-ho was not indicted until more than a year after the disaster, which they say was far too late to properly pursue justice. Despite the public outcry, Kim had continued to serve in his post until he was dismissed in June 2023, after receiving disciplinary action over his handling of the crowd crush.
While Kim has been acquitted, other lower-ranking officials have faced different fates in the courts. Last month, a lower court sentenced Lee Im-jae, the former head of the Yongsan Police Station, to three years in prison for his failure to prevent the disaster. Lee was found to have arrived late at the scene and to have failed to take adequate measures to control the crowd once he did arrive.
In contrast, two other police officials who worked in the situation management office on the day of the disaster, Ryu Mi-jin and Jeong Dae-gyeong, were also acquitted on Thursday. Like Kim, they were cleared of negligence charges due to insufficient evidence. The acquittal of these officials further fueled public anger, as many view the failure to hold high-ranking police and emergency service officers accountable as emblematic of broader systemic problems in South Korea’s public safety apparatus.
The outcome of Kim Kwang-ho’s trial follows a contentious investigation that has already divided public opinion. A special police panel was set up in the wake of the disaster to investigate the causes and assign blame. In January 2023, the panel released a report that largely exonerated senior government officials, instead focusing on local authorities and emergency services. The report found that local officials had failed to properly anticipate the size of the crowd and had not implemented adequate safety measures to prevent overcrowding.
The findings of the report have been widely criticized, with many believing that it was an attempt to deflect blame from national officials and onto lower-level workers. Critics argue that the government’s failure to adequately prepare for the Halloween festivities in Itaewon, despite prior warnings of overcrowding, contributed significantly to the disaster.
Some experts have also pointed out that South Korea’s legal system has historically been reluctant to hold powerful figures accountable for their role in large-scale tragedies. This pattern, they say, has created a culture in which responsibility for such disasters is often placed on lower-ranking individuals, while senior officials escape with little to no consequences.
In the wake of the court’s verdict, many are calling for broader changes to how South Korea handles public safety and disaster management. The Itaewon crowd crush has become a symbol of the need for stronger regulatory oversight, better coordination between government agencies, and more robust legal protections for citizens during large public events.
There are also growing calls for legal reforms that would make it easier to hold public officials accountable for negligence in the event of mass casualties. This, many believe, is necessary to prevent future disasters and to restore public trust in the government’s ability to protect its citizens.
“The tragedy in Itaewon should never have happened,” said a representative from one of the victims’ families. “But now that it has, the least we can do is ensure that those who failed to protect our loved ones are held accountable, and that no other family has to go through what we have.”
Despite the acquittals, legal experts predict that the fallout from the Itaewon disaster is far from over. Prosecutors are expected to appeal the court’s decision, and ongoing investigations could lead to additional charges against other officials. In the meantime, the public continues to demand justice for the victims of one of South Korea’s worst peacetime tragedies.
As South Korea grapples with the aftermath of the 2022 Halloween crowd crush, the acquittal of former police chief Kim Kwang-ho has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many who believe that justice has not been served. The verdict has reignited longstanding debates about public safety, government accountability, and the ability of the legal system to deliver justice in high-profile cases involving powerful individuals.
For the families of the victims, the fight for justice is far from over. They remain committed to seeking accountability for the tragedy that claimed so many lives and continue to call for reforms that will prevent such a disaster from happening again. As the legal battle continues, one thing is clear: the Itaewon crowd crush has left a lasting scar on the nation, one that will take years to heal.
