The duty team leader at the police substation, who is accused of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Police Sergeant Lee Jaeseok (34), who died in the line of duty while rescuing an elderly person stranded in a tidal flat, has been arrested.
On October 16, the special investigation team at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, which is handling the case of the Coast Guard officer's death in the line of duty, arrested former team leader Sergeant A of the Yeongheung Police Substation, Incheon Coast Guard, on charges of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty, dereliction of duty, falsification of official electronic records, and use of falsified official electronic records.
Yoo Aram, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at the Incheon District Court, conducted a detention hearing (warrant review) for Sergeant A on the afternoon of the previous day and issued an arrest warrant, stating, "There is a risk of evidence destruction."
Judge Yoo explained, "Immediately after the incident involving the death of Sergeant Lee Jaeseok in the line of duty, the suspect deleted some mobile phone call records, suggested to team members that they coordinate their statements falsely, and entered information into the work system that did not reflect the facts."
He added, "Given these actions and the suspect’s position regarding the charges, there are reasonable grounds to believe that, as the team leader at the time, the suspect may attempt to influence related parties to provide statements favorable to himself concerning his role, his relationships with team members, and the circumstances of his actions and decisions."
Police Sergeant Lee Jaeseok (34), who died in the line of duty, and related to the investigation by the prosecution, former team leader Sergeant A of Yeongheung Police Substation, Incheon Coast Guard, is leaving the court after completing the detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Incheon District Court on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News
After completing the warrant review, Sergeant A did not respond to any questions from reporters, such as "Do you admit to the charges?" or "What did you clarify?" He also remained silent when asked, "Your team members held a press conference earlier; do you have anything to say?" or "Do you have anything to say to Sergeant Lee and his bereaved family?"
Sergeant A is accused of causing the death of Sergeant Lee by failing to comply with Coast Guard regulations, including the requirement for two-person deployments, on September 11.
On that day, at around 2:07 a.m., Sergeant Lee went out alone in response to a report from a drone patrol company that "someone is sitting in the tidal flat," went missing, and was found dead six hours later.
Sergeant A is also suspected of granting team members longer breaks than allowed by regulations and then falsifying the duty log to make it appear as if the regulations had been followed.
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