Despite Chief's Warning... Seoul Police Agency Mobile Unit Involved in Third Drunken Assault Dispute This Month

Recent Underage Sexual Activity Cases Exposed
Despite Seoul Police Chief's Warning, 'Discipline Laxity'

Police officers belonging to the Mobile Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency have been criticized for disciplinary lapses, including being booked on assault charges after getting into disputes with citizens while intoxicated and being caught having sexual relations with minors.

On the 24th, the Dobong Police Station in Seoul announced that Sergeant A of the Mobile Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is under investigation for assault charges.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
Photo by Yonhap News

Sergeant A is accused of pushing a citizen during an argument on a street in Dobong-gu around 10:30 p.m. the previous day while returning home intoxicated. The citizen involved in the dispute was also booked on assault charges.

A police official stated, "Since the damages were minor on both sides, they were initially sent home, and we plan to voluntarily accompany both parties later to verify the facts."

This is the third time this month that a police officer from the Mobile Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has gotten into a dispute with a citizen while intoxicated.

On the 15th, around 7 p.m., Inspector B, in his 50s and belonging to the Mobile Unit, got into a dispute with a taxi driver at an intersection in Seongdong-gu. Inspector B is accused of assaulting a male police officer who arrived at the scene. Additionally, he was booked on charges of obstructing official duties for assaulting a female police officer while getting into a patrol car.

The very next day, in the early morning of the 16th, Corporal C of the Mobile Unit was involved in an incident where he assaulted a citizen during a dispute while intoxicated at a bar in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu.

Furthermore, Sergeant D of the Mobile Unit is currently under police investigation for having sexual relations with a teenage female student he met through an application and recording it on video.

During the police investigation, he reportedly stated that the sexual relations were consensual with the victim student. The police have seized Sergeant D’s mobile phone and requested forensic analysis to investigate the exact circumstances of the case.

Jo Ji-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, visited the Seoul Police Headquarters Mobile Unit on the 16th and warned officers, urging them to manage their conduct after a series of misconduct incidents involving Mobile Unit officers this month.

The Police Agency’s Inspection Officer has also been conducting special inspections since the 21st, focusing on police stations and the Mobile Unit in Seoul where misconduct has occurred, to check preventive measures and the current situation.