The National Archives ordered the preservation of investigative records related to the 2022 deadly crowd crush in Itaewon and the 2023 death of a Marine during a search and rescue mission, the state body said Friday.

Under the order, records for the ongoing investigation concerning the deceased Marine corporal shall be preserved for the next five years. Article 27-3 of the Public Records Management Act states that the head of the state archives body can order a record to be preserved if deemed necessary for the public or by request of the investigative body in question.

As for records for the Itaewon incident, the request was made by the parliament-approved civilian special investigative committee formed in September to look into the incident. Related records from up to five years before the deadly incident occurred on Oct. 29, 2022, until when the committee concludes its operation next year will be conserved.

The death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun became embroiled in controversy related to allegations of unreasonable orders from the commander of the Marine Corps and alleged pressure from the Defense Ministry and presidential office to interfere with the military’s investigation into the incident. Chae was among Marines who were mobilized for a search and rescue operation at a stream in North Gyeongsang Province after torrential rains. It was later found that he and other team members were deployed without even minimal safety gear such as life jackets.

Under the record preservation order, data related to the incident from the presidential office, Office of National Security, Ministry of National Defense, Defense Counterintelligence Command, Navy's Marine Corps Headquarters, Korean National Police Agency and Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency are to be conserved.

The Itaewon tragedy, which left 159 dead and 195 injured, is one of the deadliest peacetime disasters that South Korea has witnessed in recent decades. Many blame failed crowd management and rescue operations for such massive casualties. President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspected as being involved in the related investigation, particularly after his initial veto of a special law on the investigation of the tragedy and compensation for victims.

The organizations ordered to preserve records related to the Itaewon disaster are the presidential office, Office of National Security, Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Supreme Prosecutors' Office, KNPA, National Fire Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu Office, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and subway operator Seoul Metro.

In a more recent case, the National Archive ordered the Defense Ministry and KNPA not to destroy records related to the president's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, military and police actions of which are related to the ongoing criminal investigation of Yoon for insurgence.