SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea's police chief admitted 'a heavy responsibility' for failing to prevent a recent crowd surge that killed more than 150 people during Halloween festivities in Seoul, saying Tuesday that officers didn't effectively handle earlier emergency calls about the impending disaster.

The admission came as the South Korean government faces growing public scrutiny over whether the crowd surge Saturday night in Seoul's Itaewon district, a popular nightlife neighborhood, could have been prevented and who should take the responsibility for the country's worst disaster in years.