Police Decision to Invite Prosecutors for Internal Investigation Causes Stir

Since the investigation result of Korean tycoon Kim Seung-youn’s involvement in a retaliatory assault was announced on May 25, the national police organization has been in chaos. Some police officers have demanded the resignation of the head of the national police agency.

A police bulletin board online is papered with dozens of postings demanding the resignation of the chief of police, Lee Taek-sun, daily. However, the national police agency is deleting the postings without any warnings or explanations. The officers are allegedly preparing a co-statement in a protest against such moves, which is making top police officials nervous.

On May 27, the home page of the national police agency and Internet communities of police officers were inundated with severe criticism against the chief of police and his executives. “Those at the top sold their subordinates for their own safety,” an officer retorted bitterly. Most of them called for Lee to take responsibility, regarding the investigation process as “the biggest shame in the history of national police.”

Hwang Un-ha, a senior superintendent who has advocated an independent investigation by the police, said in his posting, “Lee should resign from his office to protect the last bit of self-respect the police organization has.”

“What is appalling and enraging is that the police agreed to delegate the investigation to the prosecution,” Hwang said. “This means that police investigation was regarded not good enough to be trusted. Lee should have dissuaded Cheong Wa Dae and prevented the involvement of the prosecution at all costs.”

The National Police Agency requested an investigation by the prosecution on former investigator of the Seoul Police Agency Kim Hak-bae and former head of the Namdaemun police office Chang Hee-gon on May 25.

The department in charge of the police bulletin board has deleted tens of postings demanding the resignation of Lee since Friday.

“According to relevant regulations, ungrounded defamations can be deleted,” said an official from the department, implicating that such deletions are not wrong. However, this sparked even more severe protests.

Top-level officials recently got wind of the news that some key officers are preparing a statement demanding the resignation of Lee, and verifying the truth of it.

As the National Police Agency’s decision to invite the prosecution was the intention of Cheong Wa Dae, the current situation could develop into discord between the presidential office and police officers nationwide.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office is contemplating organizing a special investigation team comprising of prosecutors from drug-related organized crime departments and a special department for the investigation as requested from the police. “The drug team will be involved to find facts behind the alleged link between organized gangs and the police,” a prosecutor said.

The prosecution is planning to designate investigators after receiving an official investigation request from the police today and call in former and incumbent police officers for questioning.

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