"Must Go Through the 'King of Geoje' to Get Promoted"... Allegations of Personnel Interference Surface

[Anchor]

We reported exclusively yesterday (July 23) that a senior police officer who has worked for over 30 years solely in areas near Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is undergoing high-intensity inspection over allegations including sexual harassment of junior female officers. According to our reporting, the National Police Agency's inspection has expanded beyond sexual misconduct to include allegations of inappropriate interference in internal promotions and personnel management. It has been found that a rumor openly circulated within the police department that one could not get promoted without going through this officer.

Here is an exclusive report by Reporter Bae Seong-jae.

[Reporter]

Inspector A has been placed under inspection by the National Police Agency on charges including sexually harassing more than 10 junior female officers at drinking gatherings over several years.

Testimonies are pouring in that such misconduct was possible because he leveraged his network and influence built over more than 30 years working as an intelligence officer only in areas near Geoje, interfering in regional police personnel matters regardless of whether officers were superiors or subordinates.

[Local Police Official B: He would make requests to his personal connections, saying things like, 'Let's make this person our chief this time.' For the past several years, it has been to the extent that he was practically called the president.]

According to SBS reporting, the Inspection Division of the National Police Agency, which launched an investigation early this month, has also secured circumstances indicating A's inappropriate personnel interference and is currently investigating the matter.

A local police officer told SBS, "It is an unwritten rule that you cannot get promoted at Geoje Police Station without going through Inspector A," adding, "If the inspection is properly conducted, personnel-related corruption will tumble out like a string of dried pollock."

Most of those who have been candidates for special promotions or promotion reviews at the senior inspector level in recent years reportedly worked alongside Inspector A or maintained close ties with him.

Multiple police officials testified to SBS that there was even a case where a staff member who worked in the same department as Inspector A received a special promotion, skipping past seniors 4 to 5 years their senior, thanks to Inspector A's backing.

It is also known that the inspection team is verifying tip-offs claiming that Inspector A received money and valuables from junior officers along with requests for promotions.

[Local Police Official C: I heard stories that there was a price tag, saying you had to pay about 50 million won to get promoted to senior inspector, and a certain amount to get promoted to inspector.]

If the allegations of inappropriate personnel interference, following years of sexual misconduct charges, are proven true, the fallout is expected to grow further as it is likely to lead to a full-scale investigation.

(Video Editing: Park Na-young, Design: Han Song-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.