Decision on Public Disclosure of Personal Information of 'Doctor's Room' Operator Jo on 24th
Debate Over Whether He Will Stand on the Photo Line
In Principle, He Can Be Placed on the Photo Line... Separate from Prosecutor's Policy
No Way to Sanction If He Covers His Face Like Go Yoo-jeong
[Asia Economy Reporters Seungyoon Song and Byeongdon Yoo] Even if the police decide to disclose the personal information of Jo, the operator of the 'Doctor's Room,' there is controversy as it is expected to be impossible to place him at the photo line under current law. However, in principle, there is a high possibility that Jo will be exposed to the public while standing at the photo line. There is no legal basis to sanction him if he thoroughly covers his face by himself.
According to the police on the 24th, the public summons system, which allowed the prosecution to place suspects at the photo line under the 'Regulations on Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Cases' enacted last October, has been completely abolished. However, since this regulation is a Ministry of Justice decree targeting only the prosecution, it is unrelated to the police policy under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Of course, the police are also revising their system in line with the trend of abolishing the photo line. They plan to include this content in the revision of the public relations rules in the first half of this year. Accordingly, basic guidelines prohibiting photo lines have been issued to each police station. However, unlike the prosecution, the rules have not been revised, so it is not impossible to place suspects at the photo line. Regarding this, Kang Taeyoung, head of the Investigation Planning Division at the National Police Agency, stated, "In principle, it is possible to install a photo line."
Even if Jo does not stand at the photo line, there is a high possibility that his face will be captured by the media during the transfer process to the prosecution as before. If the police decide to disclose his personal information, there is no legal problem with the media photographing and reporting his face as is. Although the court is considering abolishing the photo line, it has not yet prohibited it, so Jo's image is expected to be occasionally exposed to the public at stages involving the police, prosecution, and court, except for the prosecution.
The problem is that if Jo thoroughly covers his face by himself, the investigative agencies have no way to forcibly prevent this. While the decision to disclose personal information can prohibit wearing hats and masks, there is no legal basis to forcefully reveal the face. This was the case with Go Yoojeong, a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will hold a 'Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee' on the afternoon of the 24th, composed of three internal members and four external members, to decide whether to disclose Jo's personal information. Jo's personal information was already disclosed to the media the previous day. Subsequently, Jo's past activities and photos have spread mainly online, so information related to Jo has been somewhat revealed.
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