The government said former President Yoon Suk Yeol's relocation of the presidential office played a part in the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination stated Thursday, while announcing the results of a joint investigation of the tragedy, that the Yoon administration's move had resulted in the insufficient deployment of police personnel to the scene.

The Korean National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Yongsan District Office launched the joint investigation on July 23, shortly after the inauguration of President Lee Jae Myung.  

According to the coordination office, Seoul and Yongsan's police prioritized the deployment of security personnel to areas near the top office following its relocation to Yongsan.

The office said that security personnel had been deployed to the presidential office to tackle rallies being held nearby on October 29, 2022, and none were sent to Itaewon. As a result, the office said, police were unprepared for the massive crowd the neighborhood drew that night.

It continued that police leadership had been aware of the situation at the time but failed to devise countermeasures.