Police Receiving 'Hwang Unha Indictment' Deliberate Repeatedly on Resignation Acceptance

Min Gap-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, "Comprehensively Reviewing Facts to Make a Judgment"

Hwang Unha, Director of the Police Human Resources Development Institute. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency is deeply deliberating whether to grant resignation without leave to Hwang Un-ha, the head of the Police Human Resources Development Institute, who declared his candidacy for the general election and submitted his resignation letter.

Having received the indictment against Director Hwang from the prosecution, the police are reviewing whether resignation without leave is possible based on this. It is expected to take a considerable amount of time until a decision on acceptance is made.

At a press briefing on the 10th, Police Commissioner Min Gap-ryong stated, "The National Public Officials Disciplinary Regulations stipulate that indictments and related documents must be notified to the relevant agency," adding, "We received the indictment from the prosecution this morning."

Commissioner Min added, "In Director Hwang's case, there are facts of indictment and additional matters under investigation, so we plan to verify the facts comprehensively and review and judge according to the law."

Regarding Director Hwang, who still maintains his status as a police officer but has joined a political party and even registered as a preliminary candidate, he explained, "It seems that related matters are being handled within the permissible scope through inquiries and interpretations from the Election Commission," and added, "Since this is an unusual case for us (National Police Agency), we are consulting related agencies and urging that all actions comply with legal requirements."

However, when asked about the prosecution's stance on the indictment, he refrained from commenting, saying, "I think it is inappropriate to mention matters to be judged in court."