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Three years ago, there was an accident where a disabled person drowned in a swimming pool at a municipal sports center in Seoul.
The Facility Management Corporation, who was in charge of the management at the time, avoided responsibility by saying that there were two safety personnel at the site.
When MBC obtained and inspected the report of the police investigation results, it turned out that they were all lies.
First of all, this is reporter Yoo Seo-young’s exclusive report.
◀ Report ▶
A swimming pool at the Culture and Sports Center in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul.
In November 2019, a 39-year-old woman with a grade 3 epilepsy disorder drowned while swimming here.
[피해자 유족]
“There was no lifeguard. Was it 5 minutes or 10 minutes in the water unprotected…”
However, the Dobong-gu Facility Management Corporation said, “There were two safety personnel at the time of the accident, and they did their best to take emergency measures.”
[피해자 유족]
“They said there was no fault at the pool. They said that the maximum amount they might give as insurance money was 1 million won including funeral expenses…”
The Corporation made the same statement during the police investigation and avoided punishment and compensation.
However, it was confirmed that the police, who investigated the case once more, concluded that all the claims made by the Corporation at the time were lies.
This is the report of the investigation results obtained by the investigative team.
First, the identity of the security guard who said he was “in the water” at the time of the accident.
As a result of the investigation, it is written that ‘it is clear that he was not employed or worked as a security guard’.
In fact, he was a contract swimming instructor, and at the time of the accident, he was completely out of the pool.
[이모 씨/계약직 수영 강사]
“After moving, I heard regarding the incident the next day. I drowned…”
(Then the teacher explained the situation at that time…)
“I didn’t see it.”
Another security guard who said he was “in the watchtower” at the time of the accident was not.
In fact, it is an employee who does ‘pool member management’, and there was only one safety officer on the day of the absence, so he was put in instead.
[이모 씨/계약직 수영 강사]
“(His job) is like managing a swimming pool, managing our instructors, etc.”
Although he is an employee with a safety officer’s license, he was doing various tasks, and even he was cleaning up the information board with his back to the water at the time of the accident.
According to the regulations at the time, at least two water lifeguards were to be deployed to operate the swimming pool, and only to focus on safety tasks.
It was confirmed that the prosecution, who took over the case, determined that five people involved, including the chairman of the Facilities Corporation, were charged with negligent manslaughter and requested the police for a supplementary investigation.
This is Yoo Seo-young from MBC News.
Video coverage: Son Ji-yoon Lee Jun-ha / Video editing: Song Ji-won
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