South Korea pop concert had no safety personnel: police

Sixteen people were killed when a ventilation grate they were standing on during the concert plunged more than 18 metres into an underground car park.

SEOUL // Police said on Sunday no safety personnel were deployed at an outdoor pop concert where a ventilation grate collapsed, killing 16 people and injuring nine others.

About 20 people were questioned over the incident on Friday.

“From the beginning, there were no safety personnel for the concert,” a police spokesman said.

Those questioned included officials of Edaily, an internet news provider which financed and organised the concert attended by more than 700 people.

A local government official in charge of safety committed suicide on Saturday by jumping off a building near the site after he was questioned by police.

The victims were standing on a ventilation grating to get a better view when the structure collapsed under their weight, sending them plunging 18.7 metres into an underground parking area.

Edaily chairman Kwak Jea-sun apologised to the victims' families and said he would take responsibility, including compensation.

“An unexpected incident happened due to structural problems and negligence,” he said.

Experts described the incident as another “man-made” disaster.

“Over the past decades, economic expansion always took precedence over safety concerns, resulting in a lack of safety consciousness among Koreans,” said Seoul National University Professor Chung Jae-hee.

* Agence France-Presse