The head of the National Police Agency has admitted a shortfall in the police response to the deadly Itaewon crowd crush.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun expressed condolences to the victims of the tragedy, wishing those injured a swift recovery.

Noting that he feels a heavy sense of responsibility toward the general public shocked by the tragedy, he acknowledged insufficiencies in the on-site police response to multiple emergency calls received prior to the tragedy.

The commissioner general promised to verify whether adequate steps were taken following the warning calls, as well as the appropriateness of the on-site response in general.

The police chief added that an independent body will be established to guarantee transparency throughout the process.