Ex-Seongdong Police Chief Disciplined for Official Car Misuse, Level of Punishment Withheld

[Anchor]

A disciplinary action has recently been decided against the former chief of the Seongdong Police Station, who was caught using an emergency response electric vehicle for personal commuting. However, unlike prosecutors whose names and disciplinary details are publicly disclosed, the police are refusing to reveal the level of punishment, citing a principle of non-disclosure.

Reporting by An Huijae.

[Reporter]

After SBS reported in May on allegations surrounding the misuse of an official electric vehicle by former Seoul Seongdong Police Station Chief Kwon Mi-ye, President Lee Jae-myung ordered a strict reprimand. Following an internal inspection, the police stated that the former chief had privately used the emergency response electric vehicle and caused gaps in the initial response team's duties.

According to SBS reporting, it has been confirmed that the Korean National Police Agency's Central Disciplinary Committee held a meeting last week and resolved on disciplinary action against former Chief Kwon.

However, the police maintain that they cannot disclose the specific level of punishment, claiming it constitutes information that "infringes upon the privacy or freedom of an individual."

Current police disciplinary regulations stipulate that the decisions of the disciplinary committee are not to be made public. As a result, the disciplinary outcomes have been withheld not only for former Chief Kwon, but also for six police officers suspected of botched investigations into the case of the late Director Kim Chang-min.

In contrast, for prosecutors belonging to the prosecution service and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, regardless of the type of discipline, their real names, disciplinary outcomes, and reasons are published in the official gazette. While the National National Police Agency also pushed for public disclosure seven years ago to uphold the public's right to know, the initiative fell through.

[Kim Young-sik / Professor of Police Administration, Soonchunhyang University : If it is related to an investigation or involves a serious infringement on legal rights and interests, it is only natural to disclose what kind of disciplinary action was taken...]

Sparked by allegations of investigative misconduct in the case of Gwangju high school girl murder convict Jang Yoon-gi, the Police Investigation Reform Committee, which has set out to devise innovation measures, is reportedly planning to initiate discussions on improving the disciplinary system, including requesting data related to employee discipline.

The Korean National Police Agency also stated, "We will review various ways to improve the disciplinary system."

(Photo courtesy of SBS | Video by Joo Yong-jin, Video Editing by Lee Sang-min, Design by Lee Ga-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.