Former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), Kim Kwang-ho, center, exits Seoul Western District Court after being acquitted of professional negligence charges in connection with the deadly 2022 Halloween crowd crush, Oct. 17. Yonhap

A Seoul court on Thursday acquitted a former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) over the deadly 2022 Halloween crowd crush, citing lack of evidence linking his professional negligence to the tragedy.

Kim Kwang-ho, 60, was indicted in January on charges of professional negligence in connection with Korea's worst-ever crowd crush that left 159 people dead on the Halloween weekend in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife district on Oct. 29, 2022.

"Given the evidence submitted by the prosecution, it was not strictly demonstrated that the defendants' occupational negligence was linked to the occurrence of the tragedy or its aggravation," the Seoul Western District Court said.

The court also said the reports or text messages Kim received from rank-and-file police officers were apparently insufficient to raise concern over a possible large-scale overcrowding accident and the need for countermeasures.

Prosecutors had demanded a five-year prison term without labor for Kim, accusing him of failing to take necessary safety measures and deploy police forces despite apparent safety risks from overcrowding, thereby aggravating the scope of casualties.

Kim resigned as the SMPA chief in June after his duties were suspended over the tragedy.

Following the ruling, the bereaved family members of the Itaewon tragedy issued a statement urging the prosecution to file an appeal against the court's decision, referring to it as a "deceptive ruling that forsakes the role of the judiciary." (Yonhap)