"Dating Female Officer, Did She Meet Another Colleague Before Relationship?"... Police Officers Probationed for Illegally Searching CCTV

First Trial Fine of 8 Million Won → Second Trial 6 Months Imprisonment · 1 Year Probation
Court: "Committed the Crime Neglecting Duty for Extremely Personal Reasons"

The court abused its authority and sentenced the police officers who illegally accessed closed-circuit television (CCTV) to probation. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The appellate court sentenced suspended prison terms to police officers who abused their authority by illegally accessing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to verify whether a romantic partner had met another police officer before dating them.

On the 20th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Cheong-mi) overturned the original sentence of a 8 million won fine against former and current police officers A (37) and B (29) from the Gangwon region, who were tried for violating the Personal Information Protection Act and abuse of authority, and sentenced them to six months in prison with a one-year suspended sentence.

The two accessed CCTV footage at a building management office in August 2019 to check whether their colleague C had dated another fellow police officer before dating A. They presented their police identification cards and were found to have abused their initial investigation authority, which is a power granted to police officers.

Additionally, on July 21-22, 2020, they conducted wanted and resident inquiries on a vehicle parked near C’s home for personal reasons unrelated to their official duties. It was determined that they committed these acts suspecting that after A and C broke up, C was dating another colleague police officer.

The court stated, "The authority to conduct initial investigations or to perform wanted and resident inquiries carries a high level of responsibility," and added, "The defendants’ actions betray the public trust placed in police officers who are entrusted with significant authority and responsibility, making their culpability severe." The court further explained the sentencing by saying, "The victim’s very private personal space was invaded, and it appears they suffered great mental distress."

Meanwhile, C had posted on the police internal network in March last year, expressing extreme mental anguish over sexual insults and other abuses. A and B were also referred to the police disciplinary committee, receiving severe punishments of dismissal and demotion respectively. In addition, ten other police officers who sexually harassed or committed secondary harm against C received either severe or light disciplinary actions.