Subtitled News: "Is That Long-Haired Officer Really Korean?" Seoul Police Chief Addresses Concerns Over Appearance

As protests blocking the Jamsil vote-counting station have become prolonged, some protesters have repeatedly raised suspicions that the police officers on site are former Chinese public security officers or imposters. The police have stepped in to address these claims.

Park Jeong-bo, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, addressed the controversy surrounding the appearance and attire of the officers on duty during a regular press conference today (June 15), stating, "There is no reason for anyone who is not a South Korean police officer to be standing alongside South Korean police."

He explained that the officers' identities can be sufficiently verified regardless of whether they are wearing masks or sunglasses.

Some participants in the protests at the vote-counting station have suspected that the officers are Chinese public security personnel because their faces are obscured by masks or sunglasses.

They claim that Chinese public security officers or Chinese nationals are disguising themselves as police and intentionally covering their faces to hide their identities.

Recently, a video circulated on social media showing a riot police officer being verbally abused by protesters who asked if he was Chinese.

Commissioner Park stated, "Wearing sunglasses and masks is necessary for the health and well-being of the officers," adding, "They are wearing uniforms, and since riot police operate in units, their affiliations are easily identifiable."

However, he acknowledged that there is some validity to the criticism regarding long-haired officers at the protest sites.

Commissioner Park explained, "The service management regulations only contain broad provisions requiring officers to maintain a neat appearance and decorum, without specific rules on hair length in centimeters," adding, "While most officers maintain a neat appearance from the public's perspective, we cannot ignore the expression of individual personality these days."

In particular, he cited a 2007 case where a police officer with a mustache won a lawsuit against disciplinary action, and said, "We will ensure that our appearance does not cause discomfort to the public."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.