Meeting with Command and Delivering Letter
Overnight Duty for 3 Hours in Detention Center
Fainting During Outdoor Training Amid Heatwave Warning
Command Apologizes and Urges Prevention of Recurrence
Baek Gwang-seok, who was arrested and indicted on charges of killing his former cohabiting partner's middle school son, was transferred from Jeju Dongbu Police Station to the prosecution on the 27th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The Police Workplace Council (Jikhyup) has reportedly demanded that Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong express his position on measures to prevent human rights violations from recurring and hold those responsible accountable. This collective backlash came after a series of human rights abuses, including orders to work 'unarmed' inside a detention center where a murder suspect was held, and forcing police officers undergoing training to continue during a heatwave, resulting in some officers collapsing.
According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 3rd, the leadership of the Police Officers' Workplace Council held a 30-minute meeting on the 30th of last month at the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Headquarters with the Police Bureau Personnel Planning Officer (Chief Superintendent) and other police command staff, as well as practical managers at the superintendent level. They demanded the establishment of measures to prevent the recurrence of human rights violations against field police officers. In particular, they delivered a letter addressed to Commissioner Kim to the command staff and urged a strong declaration of Kim's commitment to preventing human rights abuses against police officers.
The council raised three major issues. First, they pointed out that Baek Gwang-seok (48, detained), a suspect in the murder of a middle school student in Jeju, was subjected to three-hour shifts of overnight duty inside the Jeju East Police Station detention center by on-site police officers after he reportedly self-harmed on the 22nd of last month.
At that time, Baek had hit his head against the corner of the restroom door by himself, was immediately restrained by a guard, received treatment at a hospital, and was then re-detained. Subsequently, the Jeju East Police Station chief and department heads held a countermeasure meeting and judged that Baek might self-harm again, ordering affiliated police officers to take turns closely monitoring him inside the detention center. As a result, from 8 p.m. on the day of the incident until 9 a.m. the next day, police officers entered the detention center where Baek was held in three-hour shifts. Moreover, investigation officers without detention center experience were assigned, and they entered the detention center unarmed, which sparked widespread condemnation on the police internal network as a 'clear human rights violation.'
The council also cited the incident on the 25th of last month, when despite a heatwave warning, outdoor training was forced, causing three rookie police officers from the 101 Security Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to faint. It was reported that the police confused the heatwave warning with a heat advisory and proceeded with the training. Among them, one officer lost consciousness and was in critical condition but has recently recovered. Additionally, the council protested that during a recent video conference between Commissioner Kim and the council president, participants turned off their cameras, which was seen as a lack of willingness to communicate.
The council stated, "Human rights violations that should never occur within our (police) organization continue to happen," and criticized that "these acts stem from the complacent attitude of the command staff who do not consider the field police officers." The council demanded from Commissioner Kim: ▲ appropriate accountability for commanders responsible for human rights abuses ▲ an apology from the command staff and establishment of measures to prevent recurrence ▲ and a public declaration that strict responsibility will be imposed if human rights violations occur in the future.
Min Gwan-gi, representative of the National Police Workplace Council Solidarity (and a superintendent at Cheongju Heungdeok Police Station), said, "There is considerable anger among field police officers regarding these incidents," and added, "At this critical time when investigative authority adjustments and the autonomous police system are being implemented, we hope the Police Commissioner will show determination so that the entire police family nationwide can unite as one."
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