A South Korean court has acquitted Seoul’s former police chief of negligence over the Halloween crowd crush that killed 159 people in 2022.
Kim Kwang-ho was the highest-ranked police official to be charged over the tragedy in the Itaewon nightlife district.
During Thursday’s verdict, the court said that prosecution evidence was insufficient to show that Kim neglected his duties before the incident and during the preliminary response.
A lower-ranked police official, Lee Im-jae, was sentenced last month to three years in prison for failing to prevent the crush that shocked the world.
The verdict has been met with strong protests from the victims’ families.
Kim was indicted only last January, more than a year after the tragedy. The families said he should have been charged earlier. He was dismissed from his post in June after receiving disciplinary action over the crush, according to Yonhap.
Two of Kim’s co-accused who worked as situation management officers on the day of the crush, Ryu Mi-jin and Jeong Dae-gyeong, were also found not guilty.
The victims’ families said they strongly condemned the verdict and called on prosecutors to file an appeal.
“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, and to remind state leaders and members of society of this,” the families said.
“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,” they said.