Two Seoul police officers convicted over deadly Halloween crush

A South Korean court sentenced two former senior police officers Wednesday for destroying evidence linked to Seoul’s deadly 2022 Halloween crush — the first police officials to be sentenced over the disaster.

Tens of thousands of people — mostly in their 20s and 30s — had been out on Oct. 29, 2022, to enjoy the first post-pandemic holiday celebrations in the popular Itaewon nightlife district.

But the night turned deadly when people poured into a narrow, sloping alleyway between bars and clubs, the weight of their bodies and a lack of effective crowd control leading to nearly 160 people being crushed to death.