[Exclusive] Police Officer from Wonju Police Station Received Meals During Investigation of Veterans Affairs Corporation Blacklist Case

Police Officer from Wonju Police Station
Dines with Industrial Complex Management Director and Others
Legal Community: "Amount Not Large but Problematic"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] It has been confirmed that a police officer affiliated with Wonju Police Station received inappropriate meal hospitality from an investigation target institution during the investigation of the public institution blacklist case.

According to Asia Economy's coverage on the 18th, in September last year, when the investigation into the ‘Korea Veterans Welfare Medical Service (VWS) blacklist’ case was in full swing at Wonju Police Station, Officer A from Wonju Police Station had a meal at a meat restaurant in Wonju, Gangwon Province, together with the VWS Managing Director and the Head of Human Resources Operations. At that time, the economic team of Wonju Police Station was conducting an investigation into the ‘VWS blacklist’ case. This case involves a former department head who worked in the VWS Audit Office around December 2017, who selected certain employees to create a ‘blacklist’ and handed this list to the newly appointed director, resulting in unfair personnel actions . The business director who suffered from the personnel actions filed a criminal complaint with Wonju Police Station in January last year. Wonju Police Station began investigating the case three months later.

The meal took place eight months after the investigation had started. The VWS officials paid for the meal using a corporate card and processed it as ‘related agency business consultation expenses.’ The officials explained that the meal was a meeting for ‘business consultation related to the corporation’s affairs between the Managing Director and Wonju Police Station (regarding the corporation’s complaint case)’ and obtained internal approval. The cost was recorded as a meal for three people amounting to 85,000 KRW. Three months later, Wonju Police Station dismissed the case with no charges. The complainant objected to the police’s dismissal, and the case was transferred to the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office Wonju Branch, which is currently reviewing whether to conduct a direct investigation.

A legal sector official stated, “Although the meal cost is not large even by the standards of the ‘Act on the Prevention of Corruption and the Establishment and Management of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (Kim Young-ran Act),’ it is problematic that a member of the investigative agency had a meal with the investigation target while the investigation was ongoing.” The complainant, upon learning this fact, reported the VWS Managing Director and the Head of Human Resources Operations to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on February 28 for violations of the code of conduct and the Anti-Corruption Act. However, since the Managing Director had already resigned in January, it is uncertain whether a proper investigation will be conducted.

[Correction and Rebuttal Report] Regarding the VWS Blacklist Controversy

Regarding our April 1 article titled “VWS Also Involved in Blacklist Controversy” and April 18 article titled “Police Investigating VWS Blacklist Received Meal Hospitality,” fact-checking revealed that the VWS Audit Office canceled the Audit Review Committee meeting in April 2021 after receiving notification of investigation commencement from an external agency. On January 20, 2022, the Audit Office notified that no misconduct or illegal facts were found regarding the internal petition (violation of internal regulations, etc.) and the report to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and closed the case. It was confirmed that Officer A is not subject to suspension under personnel regulations, and reports that Officer A was a former aide to a Democratic Party lawmaker or that Mr. D had to relocate despite being enrolled in graduate school under internal transfer guidelines are false and hereby corrected.

Meanwhile, Officer A stated, “The police investigation concluded on December 31, 2021, with a decision of no indictment due to insufficient evidence regarding charges such as obstruction of business, and the meal shared between a Wonju Police Station officer and the VWS side in September last year is unrelated to the complaint case against me.”

This report is pursuant to the mediation of the Press Arbitration Commission.