Sokcho Official Who Stole Air Conditioner from Public Restroom... Bus Driver and Police Officer Assaulted in Seoul

Seoul Gangseo Police Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] It has been confirmed that a public official who stole an air conditioner installed in a public restroom in Goseong, Gangwon Province, was nearly arrested in Seoul for assaulting a bus driver and a police officer.

The Gangseo Police Station in Seoul announced on the 19th that it recently applied for an arrest warrant for public official A from Sokcho City Hall on charges including assaulting a driver and obstructing official duties under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. However, the court dismissed the warrant, finding no risk of evidence tampering or flight, allowing A to avoid detention.

A is accused of assaulting a bus driver in Seoul around 11 a.m. on the 11th and also assaulting a police officer who responded to the report.

Earlier, A was under investigation for allegedly stealing an air conditioner and an outdoor unit owned by Goseong County Office from a public restroom near the Hwaluhwe Center in Jukwang-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, along with another city hall official B on the 30th of last month (special theft) when this incident occurred.

During the police investigation, A claimed that the stolen air conditioner was "installed in the home of a solitary elderly person," but the investigation revealed it was installed at his in-laws' residence.

A’s in-laws were both alive and were not part of a vulnerable group.

B reportedly denied involvement, stating, "I thought I was simply transporting an air conditioner."

The Gangseo Police Station and Goseong Police Station plan to soon transfer each case to the prosecution.

Meanwhile, Sokcho City recently suspended the positions of both individuals.