[Reporter’s Notebook] The People’s Police Reduced to a ‘Soft Punishment’

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] One day, a call comes in from the police. It could easily be mistaken for the recently prevalent ‘voice phishing.’ Still, you have to answer just in case. However, the police immediately said, "Prepare a recorder and record the suspect’s lawyer’s statements." This was what Sergeant A of the Violent Crime Investigation Unit at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said to a civilian during an investigation last April.

After this fact was revealed through media reports, Sergeant A reportedly contacted the civilian again, asking them to keep quiet about the alleged coercion to record. A criminal defense lawyer said, "This can be seen as an ‘illegal investigation’ in practice and undermined the suspect’s right to defense."

The disciplinary action taken against Sergeant A was "receive a reduced salary for one month." A pay cut is considered a minor disciplinary measure, and one month is the lowest level within that category. According to the detailed enforcement rules of the Police Officer Disciplinary Regulations, the maximum disciplinary action for infringing on others’ rights through abuse of authority is dismissal. The disciplinary committee apparently judged that the degree of his duty violation was mild and thus imposed the lowest level of discipline.

What about sexual misconduct? Sergeant B, who was accused of sexually harassing a female subordinate at a company dinner last July, received a two-month suspension in January at the disciplinary committee. If Sergeant B’s actions were considered abuse of authority in the course of duty, a minimum dismissal could have been imposed according to the regulations.

The public criticizes these as ‘light punishments’ and ‘protecting their own.’ Premature disciplinary actions without proven allegations can be unfair to individual officers. However, police officers are special public officials who directly enforce the law. This is why there are calls for stricter disciplinary measures to gain public trust.

Allegations of police misconduct continue to emerge. In the past two weeks, two police officers from frontline police stations in Seoul are under investigation for sexual crimes. With the so-called ‘prosecutorial investigation authority abolition’ (Geomsu Wanbak) granting the police strong powers, they must bear greater responsibility. It is time to make efforts for self-purification so that they become the ‘people’s staff’ for everyone, not a ‘soft punishment’ for themselves.