'Push Allegation' Kim Sunho Police Director, 7 Awards for Criminal Arrests After Special Recruitment

Kim Soon-ho, the inaugural Commissioner of the Police Bureau, is watching the press conference of Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who has just finished visiting and encouraging staff at the entrance of the Police Bureau in the Government Seoul Office, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Kim Sun-ho, the inaugural Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who has been embroiled in controversy over his rapid promotion and police appointment, was revealed to have received multiple commendations while working in the counterintelligence investigation field in the 1990s.

Lee Seong-man, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced in a press release on the 9th that since Kim joined the police in 1989 through a special recruitment as a sergeant, he received a total of seven awards by 1998, including those for 'Outstanding Criminal Apprehension.' Reviewing the details, Kim received the Chief of the Security Headquarters Award twice in September and November 1990 for outstanding criminal apprehension, the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency Award in 1993 and 1994, and the Prosecutor General Award in 1994. Subsequently, in 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Award for outstanding security work, and in 1998, he received the Commissioner General Award again in recognition of the same merit.

Kim's past has recently become controversial as he suddenly disappeared after being active in the Incheon-Bucheon Democratic Workers' Association (Innohoe) in 1989, only to reappear six months later as a police officer recruited through a 'special counterintelligence recruitment.' In October of the year Kim was specially recruited, many members of the Incheon Regional Democratic Workers' Federation (Inminnoryeon) were arrested on charges of violating the National Security Act. This was during the Roh Tae-woo administration, which created a security state by branding student and labor movement organizations as pro-North Korean groups. Ultimately, Lee's side claims that Kim's merits were not from actual spy investigations but from utilizing information from the organization he was part of.

Lee stated, "Based on these awards, Kim rapidly advanced within the counterintelligence investigation department, being promoted from sergeant to inspector in just 10 years," adding, "There is a strong suspicion that the background for his rapid success was the use of information from the organization and colleagues he was once part of."