SOUTH KOREA’S police chief admitted today that he felt “a heavy responsibility” for failing to prevent the disaster in Seoul that killed more than 150 people on Saturday.

The admission arrived as the South Korean government came under increased criticism for the way the disaster was handled.

Yoon Hee Keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said initial investigations have found that calls had been made to authorities to warn of the danger being posed by the large crowd gathering in the popular Itaewon district of the Korean capital.