National Assembly Public Administration Committee Continues Criticism at Jeju Police Agency Audit
36 Jeju Police Officers Prosecuted in the Last 5 Years
At the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's National Audit of the Jeju Police Agency held at Jeju Provincial Office on the 23rd, various misconducts by the Jeju police were brought to the forefront, leading to criticism that public service discipline has collapsed.
Park Jeong-hyun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "According to the special inspection of public service discipline conducted nationwide across city and provincial police agencies, four Jeju police officers took sick leave and traveled abroad," adding, "Some took 58 days of sick leave and went to France for a month, or took 29 days of sick leave and went on a ten-day trip to Europe, but disciplinary actions were limited to warnings for only two of the four officers." In response, Kim Soo-young, Chief of the Jeju Police Agency, said, "Disciplinary actions were taken at the headquarters level. Two officers were not disciplined because their sick leave was due to work-related injuries or psychosomatic illnesses."
On the morning of the 23rd, the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's national audit of Jeju Province is underway at the Jeju Provincial Office. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Yang Bu-nam, a Democratic Party member, pointed out, "There was an institutional loophole where if the facts of complaints or accusations do not constitute a crime, the case can be dismissed with the consent of the complainant or accuser. Jeju police officers exploited this by falsely obtaining consent and dismissing cases, which undermines public trust." Jo Seung-han, a member of the People Power Party, added, "There were also police officers who manipulated personal injury cases into simple property damage accidents, which is tantamount to a crime."
Chief Kim responded, "We reinvestigated the fabricated cases, and those officers were naturally either retired or severely disciplined." In response, Chae Hyun-il, a Democratic Party member, said, "The discipline of the Jeju police seems to be in shambles right now," adding, "A police station chief was suspended for frequently drinking during work hours, a police officer who drank with him got into a physical fight with a colleague and was dismissed, and a police officer who was suspended for attempting to sexually assault a female colleague was later arrested for molesting a citizen."
Han Byung-do, also from the same party, stated, "In the past five years, 36 police officers affiliated with the Jeju Police Agency have been indicted. Among the 18 city and provincial police agencies, Jeju has the highest indictment rate relative to its personnel," pointing out, "These are shocking crimes such as drunk driving, violence, prostitution, and sexual assault, yet 16 of them were not disciplined, and most received only minor disciplinary actions." Han emphasized the need for strict and strong disciplinary measures that meet public expectations for police officers who commit crimes, as well as special attention to public service discipline. Faced with continued criticism regarding the lax discipline within the police force, Chief Kim Soo-young ultimately apologized, saying, "I am sorry."
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