[2020 National Audit] 86 Police Officers Caught for Sexual Misconduct in Last 3 Years... 8 Belong to the 'Women and Youth Division'

Most Severely Disciplined... 40 Dismissed, 22 Suspended

Han Byung-do, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been revealed that 86 police officers committed sex crimes over the past three years. Among them, 8 were confirmed to belong to the Women and Youth Division.

According to the National Assembly audit data submitted by Han Byung-do, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party, to the National Police Agency on the 26th, 86 police officers committed sexual misconduct from 2016 to 2019, and most received severe disciplinary actions.

By regional police agency, the Seoul Police Agency had the highest number with 20 officers, followed by Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency with 11, Busan Police Agency with 6, and Jeonnam and Incheon Police Agencies with 5 each.

Most received punishments corresponding to severe disciplinary measures. Dismissal was the most common with 40 cases, followed by suspension with 22, discharge with 14, and demotion with 7. There was also one case where the punishment was limited to a reprimand.

Notably, among the police officers who committed sex crimes, 8 belonged to the Women and Youth Division (Yeo-cheong-gwa). This division is responsible for handling female victims of violence as well as at-risk youth, yet officers from this division themselves committed sex crimes.

Among the 8 officers from the Women and Youth Division who committed sex crimes, 6 were mostly involved in workplace sexual harassment, while the remaining 2 were involved in sex crimes outside the workplace, including sexual harassment and rape. One case of sexual harassment outside the workplace involved a school police officer who sexually harassed a student he came to know through his duties and was dismissed as a result.

Representative Han said, "It is a serious problem that the Women and Youth Division staff, who should protect female victims, have instead committed sex crimes," and added, "The police must promptly establish and implement measures to prevent sexual misconduct to reinforce discipline."