Woo Cheol-moon: "Keeping the Identity of the Suspect in Lee Jae-myung Attack Confidential is Appropriate... Not a Case of Inadequate Investigation"

Explanation of Judgment Basis in National Assembly Public Administration Committee Inquiry
Yoon Hee-geun: "No Case of Reversing Personal Information Disclosure Committee Decision"

Busan Police Chief Woo Cheol-moon drew a line on criticism over the decision to withhold the identity of the suspect in the attack on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating that "there was a judgment that the brutality of the means and the seriousness of the crime were insufficient." He also emphasized, "Please do not intimidate the police," in response to opposition parties' allegations of a sloppy investigation.

On the 25th, at a National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee plenary session where he appeared as a witness, Chief Woo explained the reason for not disclosing the assailant's identity: "I heard that internally among the members of the Identity Disclosure Committee, there was a discussion that compared to previous cases where identities were disclosed, the brutality of the means and the seriousness of the crime were somewhat insufficient."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When the Busan Police Agency announced the decision not to disclose the suspect's identity on the 9th, it did not reveal the specific grounds for the Identity Disclosure Committee's judgment.

Kim Gyo-heung, chairman of the Public Administration and Security Committee, referred to the cutter knife attack incident in May 2006 when former President Park Geun-hye was the leader of the Grand National Party, saying, "At that time, the suspect's identity was disclosed, but this time, the suspect sharpened a knife and stabbed with the intent to kill. How can you not disclose it?" In response, Chief Woo countered, "The incident involving former President Park occurred before the law related to identity disclosure was enacted, so it is not appropriate to compare the timing."

Then, when Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hae-sik asked, "Does this mean that Busan Police Agency has no responsibility since the Identity Disclosure Committee made the decision?" Chief Woo replied, "It is not about whether there is responsibility or not; I was explaining the relevant laws."

Police Chief Yoon Hee-geun, who also appeared that day, explained, "There are legal regulations that prohibit disclosure of identity and political affiliation, among other aspects, which are the issues being continuously raised." In response to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hyung-seok's question about whether the police unconditionally respect the Identity Disclosure Committee's decisions, he answered, "As far as I know, the police have never arbitrarily overturned the committee's decisions."

Furthermore, when Democratic Party lawmakers launched an offensive over allegations of a sloppy investigation by the police, Chief Woo dismissed it, saying, "The investigation team members could not go home for ten days and actively conducted the investigation." Police Chief Yoon also supported this, stating, "I believe the Busan investigation team did their best and announced results commensurate with that."

Chief Woo also addressed the Democratic Party's claim that the crime scene was washed immediately after the incident, which they argued was destruction of the crime scene and evidence tampering, saying, "The chief of the Gangseo Police Station in Busan decided this after consulting with the captains at the scene, and I think it was appropriate." He added, "The suspect was already apprehended, sufficient evidence was secured, and broadcasters, party officials, and supporters were all present, so it was judged that there was no need to preserve the scene."

Regarding the Democratic Party's suspicion that the police downplayed the incident in their situation report, he said, "The officers at the scene judged the weapon as a utility knife under the urgent circumstances, and they should not be criticized for that." He questioned, "If we ask the officers at the scene to judge and report on the exact nature of the knife and the terminology to use, including dictionary definitions, they would be intimidated and unable to perform their duties."