Controversy over Prosecution’s Order to Disclose Corruptions of Police

A controversy is expected to arise with the police pushing for its right to independent investigations, as the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office has recently ordered the prosecutors to focus on investigating and reporting on corruption cases, such as unjust investigation and bribery of the police.

According to the prosecution on Jan. 14, the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office sent prosecutors an official document called ‘Request for data related to operational evaluations of each office for the second half of 2002,’ pointing out the poor performance reported on the investigation and commands of the police.

In this document, it said, “It is highly evaluated when actively discovering the cases that the police covered up an accusation with recognizing it, reexamined into the unjustly terminated investigation, and disclosed corrupted police officers.”

The prosecution also ordered to collect the cases of re-commanding of the already handled case and the new disclosure through commands of autopsy as well as the corruptions of police officers.

Regarding this order by the prosecution, some point out that it might be an attempt to put a lid on the police claim to have an independent investigation right.

Whenever the independent investigation right is raised inside the police, the prosecution used to remind them in secret that they have no investigation right, by disclosing their corruptions.

Lee Suk-yeon, a lawyer who was secretary general of Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, said, “At this sensitive timing, the prosecution should avoid misunderstanding. As far as the independent investigation right is concerned, it should not solve the problem by disclosing the corruptions of the police. It needs to find a way to change ideas drastically, like an open debate.”

The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office sent the public prosecutors’ offices throughout the nation the document requesting for data related to operational evaluations of each office for the second half of 2002, in line with the basic act on evaluations of operations by government agencies. Accordingly, the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office specified the document and sent it back to the prosecutors.

The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office explained that this move has nothing to do with the right to independent investigations and is part of the semiannual operational evaluations.

The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office was confirmed to have sent such a document to the prosecutors in January and June last year, asking them to report the cases that disclosed the corruptions of the police.

“The document is to order the prosecutors to disclose the human rights violations and corruption cases of jailers as well as police officers, and report the operations on other areas such as organized violence and public safety offenders. It is not targeting the police only,” said a related official.

“The independent investigation right of the police is a critical matter that would change the judicial system of the country,” Gook Min-soo, information officer of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office said. “Therefore, such a document should not be misunderstood as a turf war or conflicts between the prosecution and the police.”---

Wi-Yong Jung viyonz@donga.com