Policeman involved in Halloween investigation found dead in Seoul
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The police station Jeong worked at is one of the targets involved in the massive probe of the disaster, which may entail a failed crowd control effort.
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The scene where the crush took place (AP)
Police in South Korea have confirmed that a police officer possibly involved in the Halloween crowd crush that killed more than 150 people in Itaewon was found dead on Friday - the nature of the death has not been released yet.
The intelligence officer, who is only being identified by his last name Jeong, was discovered dead in his home according to an official at the National Police Agency who relayed the information to AFP.
Jeong was working at the Yongsan Police Station which oversaw the district of Itaewon - the location where the fatal incident occurred. Itaewon is an entertainment area in Seoul, and the police station in question is one of the targets involved in the massive probe of the disaster, which may entail a failed crowd control effort.
According to AFP citing Yonhap news agency, Jeong was accused of planning the destruction of an intelligence report that included warnings of a potential accident over Halloween in the district among other violations.
11 reports of dangerous crowding were made public as part of the emergency calls released earlier this month by the police. The calls came almost four hours before the incident happened but police failed to act immediately.
While the cause of the deaths has not yet been confirmed, the chief said many people fell during the festivities, resulting in casualties. He also noted that reports have been received of people getting "buried" in crowds around 10:24 pm local time.
Officials such as the Seoul mayor, the police chief, and the Interior Minister issued apologies last week, in admittance of failing to prevent the disaster and being unprepared.
Seoul witnessed a major candlelight vigil over the weekend mourning the victims, as the public grows angrier over the government's mishandling of the tragic incident.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
