[Anchor]

Amid intensive inspections and our consecutive reports, it has been confirmed that Senior Superintendent A recently submitted his resignation. We connect to the scene at the Geoje Police Station.

Reporter Cho Min-ki, when was the resignation submitted?

[Reporter]

Yes, Senior Superintendent A submitted his resignation to his parent organization, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, over the past weekend.

It is reported that instead of Senior Superintendent A himself, his wife visited the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency to submit the resignation along with an expression of apology.

This came less than five days after various allegations of misconduct against him were brought to light through SBS's exclusive reports last week.

However, the police agency reiterated its stance that the resignation will not be processed until the level of disciplinary action is decided, emphasizing that high-intensity inspections take priority.

An official from the police agency conveyed the atmosphere, saying, "The inspection team headed down to Geoje with great determination to conduct a thorough investigation."

Meanwhile, local police officers here stated, "Senior Superintendent A has exerted arbitrary power in the region for so long and is connected with high-ranking figures across various sectors, making it impossible to even raise issues. We hope the truth will be properly uncovered this time."

Our reporting team visited Senior Superintendent A's residence to ask for his stance on the submission of his resignation, but we were unable to meet him.

[Anchor]

The police should root out local police corruption this time. What is the atmosphere like in Geoje and Gyeongnam?

[Reporter]

Yes, as soon as I arrived here today (July 27), I reported across various departments of the Geoje Police Station and the local community.

While the majority of police officers were aware of our exclusive reports, they appeared cautious and hesitant to speak.

There were even instances where officers told us, "We have nothing to say," and ushered us out of their offices.

Through an anonymous email tip, a local police official stated, "Senior Superintendent A's influence is so immense that there is a strong atmosphere of fear that contacting the reporting team will lead to being ostracized."

Our reporting team plans to stay here for the time being and continue covering and reporting based on the information provided by those who reach out to us.

(Photo courtesy of Park Hyun-chul, Video Editing: Lee Hong-myung)