"Insulted as 'Ignorant Police', Drunken Man Who Committed Sexual Harassment Fired After Slapping Reinstated Police Officer"

Reduction of dismissal to 3-month suspension through appeal review
Slapped 8 times while restraining a drunk troublemaker

A police officer who was dismissed for repeatedly slapping a drunken troublemaker at a police substation will be reinstated through an appeal review. On the 25th, the Seoul Gwanak Police Station announced that the Appeal Review Committee under the Ministry of Personnel Management held a hearing on the 22nd regarding the appeal of Officer A, a former sergeant of the Gwanak Police Station who was dismissed for abuse of authority, and reduced the disciplinary action to a three-month suspension. Accordingly, Officer A is expected to return to the police force soon.

A police officer who was dismissed for repeatedly slapping the cheek of a drunken person causing a disturbance has been reinstated through an appeal review. On the 25th, the Gwanak Police Station in Seoul announced that the Appeal Review Committee under the Ministry of Personnel Management held a hearing on the 22nd regarding the appeal of Lieutenant A, formerly of the Gwanak Police Station, who was dismissed for official assault, and reduced the disciplinary action to a three-month suspension.
[Photo by Asia Economy]

Officer A was dismissed last May on charges of abusing a man in his 20s, Mr. B, who was arrested for causing a disturbance while heavily intoxicated at around 1:30 a.m. on October 15 of last year at the police substation. Abuse of authority is a crime committed when a public official uses their power to assault or subject a person to harsh treatment. At the time, Mr. B was arrested for causing a disturbance to a taxi driver in his 70s while intoxicated, and at the substation, he reportedly mocked the on-duty officers by saying "You’re a cop because you’re ignorant" and sexually harassed a female officer.

Officer A is accused of slapping Mr. B eight times while restraining him. Mr. B reported to emergency services (119) that he was beaten by the police. Subsequently, Officer A visited Mr. B to apologize and offered a settlement payment of 5 million won, but the Gwanak Police Station dismissed Officer A in May. In this regard, the Seoul Gwanak Police Station held a disciplinary committee in May and decided to dismiss Sergeant A, who was under investigation for abuse of authority. The reasons for the disciplinary action included abuse of authority and violation of the duty to obey orders.

At the time, Officer A explained, "I could not tolerate the abuse of public authority," but the disciplinary committee judged that there were other ways to restrain the suspect. The committee also ruled that Officer A’s two commendations from the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency and the settlement with the victim did not qualify as reasons for reducing the disciplinary action. Dissatisfied with the disciplinary committee’s decision, Officer A filed an administrative appeal with the Appeal Review Committee, which decided on a suspension rather than dismissal. Officer A is expected to be reinstated after serving the three-month suspension.

Meanwhile, at the end of July, within one week, two frontline police officers took their own lives, and one collapsed and died from symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. According to related statistics, about 1.9 police officers commit suicide every month. An internal police survey found that two out of every ten officers belong to a high-risk stress group. From 2019 to June of this year, 125 police officers have committed suicide, which is more than the 76 officers who died in the line of duty during the same period.