"Fourth Round in the Office" Drinking Photos...Police Face Back-to-Back SNS Controversies

Mobile Unit Officers Post "Drinking Proof Shot" from Gyeongnam Office
From Mocking a Death Scene to Boasting About Drinking...SNS Controversies Mount

Recently, criticism over lax discipline has been mounting as police officers have repeatedly posted inappropriate photos taken in official workspaces or at incident scenes on social media (SNS).

Drinking photos posted on social media by police officers from the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency. Online community

According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency on the 11th, four members of a mobile unit under the agency posted on their personal social media a photo taken in an office with beer and snacks laid out. The post went up at around 2 a.m. that day along with the caption, "The last ones left are having a fourth round in the office. It's a T, so why do I feel like crying?"

It was reported that they were not on duty at the time the photo was taken. However, the police consider it highly inappropriate to drink alcohol in a public workspace where colleagues work together, regardless of whether one is on duty, and to expose such behavior online. An official from the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency stated, "We are currently identifying the specific facts. As soon as we confirm the details, we will begin an internal inspection and take appropriate measures."

This is not the first time that police use of social media has become an issue. Previously, Officer A of Gwangmyeong Police Station sparked public outrage by sharing on social media a photo taken at the scene of an unexplained death and making remarks that appeared to mock the deceased.

A photo posted on social media by Inspector A of Gwangmyeong Police Station that contained inappropriate wording. Online community

At that time, Officer A caused controversy by posting the scene photo showing the body along with captions containing inappropriate expressions about the deceased, such as "Anyone want to guess what this is?" and "I should stop eating blood sausage from now on." He also left room for legal violations by uploading a captured image of the police internal system (AFIS), which is not accessible to the general public.

As the controversy spread, the National Police Agency on the 10th relieved Officer A of his duties and ordered a criminal investigation and an internal inspection.

With such inappropriate social media posts by police officers coming to light one after another, voices are growing that there needs to be a review of how posts on personal accounts are managed, as well as an overall inspection of internal discipline.