Police Officer Who Investigated Park Narae Joins Law Firm Now Defending Her After Retirement

From Investigating Park Narae to Joining Her Defense Team
Gangnam Police Criminal Affairs Chief Sparks Controversy

It has been reported that a mid-level police officer who had been investigating broadcaster Park Narae, who is suspected of abusing her former managers and of involvement in illegal medical procedures, rejoined the workforce after retirement at the law firm where Park's legal representatives work. As the officer in charge of the investigation has moved to the law firm representing the suspect, a conflict-of-interest controversy is emerging.

Broadcaster Park Narae. JDB Entertainment

According to the Chosun Ilbo on the 19th, Mr. A, who had served as the head of the Criminal Affairs Division at Seoul Gangnam Police Station, retired last month and joined a major law firm earlier this month that is now defending Park. The Criminal Affairs Division at Gangnam Police Station has been investigating, since around December last year, allegations that Park abused her former managers and was involved in illegal medical procedures. In effect, the officer who had been receiving investigation reports has now become a member of the law firm representing the suspect.

In the legal community, some point out that, because he was the officer in charge who received reports on the substance and direction of the investigation, there is a potential for a conflict of interest. There are concerns that the fairness of the investigation could be undermined due to possible leaks of investigative secrets or preferential treatment for a former senior official.

Under the Public Service Ethics Act, retired public officials must undergo a prior employment review if they seek jobs at institutions closely related to the departments where they worked. However, when a public official with a lawyer's license takes a position at a law firm, that move can be exempted from such review. Yonhap News tried multiple times to contact Mr. A for his comments but was unable to reach him.

Meanwhile, Gangnam Police Station postponed a scheduled summons of Park as a suspect that had been set for February 12. Park's side is reported to have requested a delay in the questioning, citing concerns that large crowds might gather at the scene of her appearance, creating safety issues, and that her health is not good.

In the meantime, moves by former police officers to law firms have been rapidly increasing since 2021, when police investigative authority expanded with the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and the police, giving the police the primary authority to close investigations. According to the government's employment review data, the number of retired police officers applying to work at law firms rose from 10 in 2020 to 36 in 2025, more than tripling. The defense attorney for former Seoul City Council member Kim Kyung, who is under investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency over allegations of a "1 billion won nomination bribe," is also a former member of the agency's Intelligent Crime Investigation Unit.