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A disciplinary decision has recently been reached regarding the former head of the Seoul Seongdong Police Station, who was caught using an emergency electric vehicle for personal commuting to evade public vehicle-rotation rules. However, the police maintain that the specific level of discipline cannot be disclosed, citing the principle of confidentiality.

Reporter An Huijae has an exclusive report.

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[SBS 8 News (May 20): He began using an official electric vehicle, which is exempt from the two-day vehicle-rotation system, for his personal commute and other private purposes.]

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

According to SBS reporting, it was 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 have taken the stance that the specific level of discipline cannot be revealed, stating that 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 made public. As a result, not only former Chief Kwon's disciplinary outcome, but also the disciplinary results for six police officers suspected of botched investigations in the case of the late Director Kim Chang-min, have not been disclosed.

In the case of prosecutors from the prosecution service and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, regardless of the type of discipline, their names, disciplinary results, and reasons are published in the official gazette. Seven years ago, the National Police Agency also pushed for public disclosure to uphold the public's right to know, but the effort 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, I think it is only natural to disclose what kind of disciplinary action was taken. Allowing the disciplinary committee to also decide on whether to make it public….]

Prompted by suspicions of investigative misconduct regarding Jang Yoon-ki, the murderer of a female high school student in Gwangju, the police's Investigation Reform Committee, which has set out to formulate 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 that it will "review various ways to improve the disciplinary system."

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News) (Video Reporting: Joo Yong-jin | Video Editing: Lee Sang-min | Design: Lee Ga-jin)