After zeroing in on police leadership, the special investigation team set up by the National Police Agency to look into the causes behind the Itaewon tragedy that took the lives of at least 157 people, is now looking into the response of related authorities. The division said Sunday it will bring in officials from the Yongsan-gu Office and Seoul Metro to testify to how they responded to the tragedy. The team deems that the Yongsan-gu Office failed its duty for disaster control as a local gover

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2022

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- President Joe Biden is formally kicking off his participation at a conference of southeast Asian nations on Saturday, looking to emphasize the United States' commitment in the region where a looming China is also working to expand its influence.   Biden's efforts at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit are meant to lay the groundwork ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping _ the first face-to-face encounter of Biden's pr

International Nov. 12, 2022

The music video for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's debut song "Boombayah" has surpassed 1.5 billion views on YouTube, the group's agency said Saturday. YG Entertainment said the video passed the milestone at about 3:50 a.m. the same day, six years after the K-pop quartet launched its debut EP album, "SQUARE ONE," in August 2016. Boombayah is one of the two songs on "SQUARE ONE," along with "Whistle." As of Saturday, three BLACKPINK videos have garn

Performance Nov. 12, 2022

The injured South Korean football star Son Heung-min was named to the country's World Cup squad Saturday, as the football-crazed nation waits with bated breath to see if the beloved captain will be able to compete in Qatar. Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 26-man roster in Seoul on Saturday, 12 days before South Korea's first Group H match against Uruguay in Qatar. South Korea will also play Ghana on Nov. 28 and then Portugal on Dec. 2. Son underwent surgery on Nov. 4 after sufferin

Soccer Nov. 12, 2022

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 50,000 for the third consecutive day Saturday amid concerns of a possible resurgence in the winter. The country reported 54,328 new COVID-19 infections, including 58 from overseas, bringing the total to 26,145,764, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is up from 40,903 a week ago and 37,312 two weeks ago, according to the authorities. The country added 46 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 2

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2022

The Korean government has pledged a major reform of police administration and the overall national safety system following the Itaewon Halloween tragedy. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Thursday the reform plans would be released next month. "We will work on a pangovernmental disaster safety management system, major reform of police and crowd management measures by next month," Han said at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Han’s pledge co

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2022

The special investigation division looking into the causes behind the recent Itaewon tragedy has narrowed its sights on top police figures, after President Yoon Suk-yeol slammed police leadership for their insufficient response on Monday. A special investigation team set up by the National Police Agency searched 55 sites related to the Itaewon disaster Tuesday, including the offices of Yoon Hee-keun, chief of the National Police Agency, Kim Kwang-ho, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Agency, and L

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2022

Regarding the Itaewon disaster on Oct. 29, the special investigation police division has now pinpointed six figures as suspects, including Lee Im-jae, former chief of the Yongsan Police Station, and Ryu Mi-jin from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, for alleged professional negligence resulting in death.   The special investigation division, launched last week, has been looking into the causes behind the incident and the response of authorities. "We have probed 154 people and broug

Social Affairs Nov. 7, 2022

The whereabouts of top figures among the police and the administration’s chain of command are being pointed out as the reasons for what exacerbated the disaster in Itaewon, which took the lives of at least 156 people. The police have been operating a special investigation division to uncover the cause of the Oct. 29 tragedy. "We have completed an investigation of 85 people, including 67 witnesses and victims, 14 employees at nearby businesses and four police officers dispatched to th

Social Affairs Nov. 4, 2022

Another senior police officer has been dismissed from her position as authorities investigate the response to the crowd disaster in Itaewon, Seoul, on Saturday that left at least 156 people dead. On Thursday, the police dismissed Senior Superintendent Ryu Mi-jin, who was in charge of monitoring the situation in Itaewon, for not taking special action despite the 11 calls made to police hours before the incident. The police agency revealed Tuesday it had received 11 calls starting from aroun

Social Affairs Nov. 3, 2022

The main opposition on Wednesday stepped up pressure on the government over the Itaewon tragedy, accusing concerned organizations of attempting to cover up details of the incident. “Downplaying, covering up, manipulating the situation in an attempt to reduce accountability cannot be forgiven,” Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said at the party’s supreme council meeting Wednesday. “High-level government officials’ attitudes are in no way taking

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2022

The police are speeding up their investigation into the authorities’ part in the Itaewon disaster, while criticisms of its response to the incident rises. Following the release of 11 phone transcripts to the police, which were made hours before the incident took place on Saturday, the police have faced increasing criticism from the public and political circles, as well as pressure from the government. Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae has been put on a standby order, the first figu

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2022

The deadly crowd crush in Itaewon has plunged the public into grief and concern, as the tragedy took place in a popular area in the heart of Seoul. Many in their 20s and 30s -- the age group with the largest number of casualties -- are gripped by the feeling that they could have been in that situation. As of Tuesday morning, there were 156 casualties. “I was going to go a party in Itaewon that night. I didn’t go because of other last-minute plans, but that could have happened to me,

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2022

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin on Monday said that the government is reviewing ways to provide foreign nationals killed or injured in the Halloween disaster with the same support as Korean nationals. “(The ministry) is reviewing ways to allow support the same as (measures provided to) Korean nationals to the foreigners injured and killed,” Park said at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting. According to Park, the government will see if

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022

Photographs and video footage of the Itaewon disaster have circulated online via social media, fanning concerns of further damage to the victims as well as possible trauma for the public. Soon after the crowd surge at Itaewon began claiming the lives of people late Saturday, photographs and video footage of the incident went viral on social media, especially as a large number of victims and observers at the scene were in the target demographics for heavy social media users. The online circulati

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022