A Seoul court has found Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young not guilty  of occupational and gross negligence causing death and injury in connection with the 2022 crowd crush in the district’s Itaewon neighborhood, which killed 159 people.

The Seoul Western District Court handed down the ruling Monday while also acquitting Choi Won-jun, a former manager-level official handling the district's safety and disaster response; Yoo Seung-jae, the district's former deputy chief; and Moon In-hwan, the former head of the office's safety, construction and transportation division.

All four officials were indicted on the same charge in January of last year for allegedly failing to prepare a safety management plan ahead of the Halloween festivities, as well as failing to properly operate the district's situation room.

In delivering its ruling, the court said it is difficult to say that a district office has the authority to prevent large crowds from gathering at a specific location, or the authority to break up crowds. 

The verdict came hours after the court sentenced the former head of the Seoul Yongsan Police Station, Lee Im-jae, to three years in prison for causing death and injury due to occupational and gross negligence in connection with the crowd crush.