A South Korean court has acquitted Seoul's former police chief of negligence in the Halloween massacre that killed 159 people in 2022.
Kim Kwang-ho was the highest-ranking police officer charged over the tragedy in the Itaewon nightlife district.
In Thursday's verdict, the court said the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to show that Kim neglected his duties before the incident and during the preliminary response.
A low-ranking police officer, Lee Im-jae, was sentenced last month to three years in prison for failing to prevent the stampede that shocked the world.
The verdict sparked strong protests from the victims' families.
Kim was not charged until last January, more than a year after the tragedy. The families said he should have been charged sooner. He was removed from his post in June after facing disciplinary action following his row, according to Yonhap.
Two of Kim's co-defendants 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 appeal.
“The court missed an opportunity to reflect on the seriousness of the responsibility of public officials to protect the life and safety of the public, and to remind state leaders and members of society of this,” they said. declared the families.
“The weakness of the prosecution's investigation and the court's passive interpretation of the law have delayed the punishment of those responsible for the tragedy and once again violated the rights of the victims,” they said.
A special police commission investigated the matter and released its report in January that largely spared senior government officials from any accountability.
Instead, the report holds municipal and local emergency service officials responsible for poor emergency planning and response.
Most of the victims who died on the night of October 29, 2022 were young people celebrating Halloween in Itaewon, known for its lively bars and restaurants lining its narrow streets. The crush occurred in one of these cramped alleys.
According to some accounts, more than 100,000 people were in the area that evening. The incident shook South Korea and sparked accusations that authorities did not do enough to prevent the tragedy.
