[Anchor]

Yesterday, we brought you an exclusive report that a senior police official who has worked for over 30 years near Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is facing high-intensity inspections over allegations including the 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 intervention in personnel affairs within the organization. We have learned that it was an open secret within the police force that one had to go through this official in order to get promoted.

This exclusive report comes from reporter Bae Seong-jae.

[Reporter Bae Seong-jae]

Senior Superintendent A has been placed under inspection by the National Police Agency on allegations of 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 the connections and influence he built while working as an intelligence police officer for over 30 years near Geoje, meddling in local police personnel decisions across both upper and lower ranks.

[Regional Police Official B: He makes requests to his personal connections. Things like, "Let's make this person the police station chief this time." He's kept this up for the past few years, to the point where he was practically called the president.]

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

One local police officer told SBS, "It is an unwritten rule that you cannot get promoted at the Geoje Police Station unless you go through Senior Superintendent A," adding, "If the inspection is conducted properly, personnel-related corruption will come tumbling out like dried fish strung on a rope."

Most of those who have been candidates for special promotions or promotion reviews at the senior inspector rank over the past few years reportedly either worked with Senior Superintendent A or maintain personal 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 Senior Superintendent A bypassed all seniors 4 to 5 years his senior and received a special promotion, thanks to a push from Senior Superintendent A.

The inspection team is also known to be verifying tips that he received money and valuables from junior police officers along with requests for promotion.

[Regional Police Official C: I heard there was a price tag, like you have to pay about 50 million won to get promoted to senior inspector, and you have to pay some other amount to get promoted to inspector.]

If the allegations of inappropriate personnel interference, following years of sexual misconduct suspicions, are proven true, they are expected to lead to a full-scale criminal investigation, further escalating the fallout.

(Video Editing: Park Na-young, Design: Han Song-yeon)

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[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that the National Police Agency inspection team recently conducted face-to-face interviews with police officers identified as close associates of the official in question. Testimonies exposing the official's misconduct are also continuing to flood anonymous police online communities.

Reporter Cho Min-gi has our next exclusive report.

[Reporter Cho Min-gi]

The officials whom the National Police Agency inspection team recently met for face-to-face questioning in Geoje and other areas are police officers identified as the closest junior associates of Senior Superintendent A, widely dubbed the "King of Geoje."

These individuals are known to have arranged drinking gatherings where Senior Superintendent A allegedly sexually harassed junior female officers, or to have received various benefits such as promotions from him.

During the inspection team's questioning, they reportedly denied most of the allegations, including sexual misconduct.

However, immediately following yesterday's exclusive SBS report, current and former police officers centered around the Geoje Police Station and across South Gyeongsang Province continued to submit tips regarding Senior Superintendent A.

[Regional Police Official D: He goes around to drinking gatherings with his close associates. He very frequently engaged in behaviors like putting his arm around female officers' shoulders, holding their hands, or trying to kiss them.]

[Regional Police Official E: Even when going to bars, they say they absolutely cannot talk about or mention him (Senior Superintendent A). If multiple people are sitting together, wouldn't there be some spies for him among them? That guy operates entirely on his own terms when it comes to personnel affairs and everything else.]

Reactions of dismay flooded anonymous police community boards.

One police officer lashed out, saying, "Do not bring female officers to drinking gatherings," calling it "filthy and repulsive." Another officer, claiming to be a former member of the Geoje Police Station, targeted personnel corruption by venting, "There are guys who proudly boast that they were reviewed because they paid money. If you speak ill of that group, it goes straight to their ears and you get targeted."

Posts arguing that this is not an issue isolated to Geoje also followed, with comments suggesting, "Let's summon the 'King of Geoje' from every region across the country."

The inspection team stationed locally is accelerating efforts to secure testimonies from relevant parties as well as physical evidence to substantiate the misconduct suspicions surrounding Senior Superintendent A and his innermost circle of police officials.

(Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho)