The court has ruled that the disciplinary suspension imposed on a coast guard officer who repeatedly drank alcohol and went squid fishing while on maritime patrol duty was justified.
On August 3, Yonhap News reported that the Seoul Administrative Court's Division 6 for Administrative Cases (Presiding Judge Na Jin-i) recently ruled against the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Coast Guard officer A against the Korea Coast Guard, seeking to overturn the suspension. In January 2023, A received a two-month suspension and a disciplinary surcharge of 675,000 won from the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Korea Coast Guard for violating the National Public Service Act and the Police Officers’ Service Regulations.
A, who was in charge of accounting, purchased alcoholic beverages with crew meal allowances and brought them onto the vessel. Additionally, during the deployment period from May to August 2022, he participated in group drinking and squid fishing on several occasions during dinner hours. It was found that he covered the rear CCTV camera of the ship with a rag in an attempt to conceal these activities.
Furthermore, in April 2022, while inspecting a Chinese fishing vessel at sea, A was aware that crew members had received catch such as skate and flatfish from Chinese sailors and condoned or facilitated this, which also became grounds for disciplinary action. When the internal investigation began, A instructed the cooks to give false statements regarding the circumstances of the alcohol being brought onboard.
A filed an administrative lawsuit claiming that the two-month suspension was unfair, but the court of first instance did not accept his claim.
The court stated, "Coast Guard officers are responsible for safeguarding maritime sovereignty and maintaining maritime safety and public order," adding, "Officers serving on patrol vessels, who must respond swiftly to various situations such as territorial intrusions and large-scale casualties, are required to uphold a higher level of responsibility and strict discipline." The court continued, "A not only engaged in deviant acts such as drinking and fishing on board during deployment, but also brought alcohol purchased with misappropriated funds onto the vessel and instructed related personnel to provide false statements. These actions constitute a severe breach of duty and gross negligence."
The court further explained, "Considering that A's actions were reported multiple times in the media, significantly damaging the honor and reputation of the Coast Guard, the public interest of establishing discipline and enhancing public trust in the Coast Guard, which the suspension aims to achieve, cannot be considered less significant than the disadvantages A would suffer from the suspension."
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