Seoul Police Agency Head Resigns over Hanwha Scandal

The inspection office of the National Police Agency said that it confirmed that ranked police officers, including investigative director Kim Hak-bae at Seoul Police Agency, received phone calls asking for a favor related to the Hanwha scandal from Choi Ki-moon, Hanwha adviser and former National Police Agency Chief.

The National Police Agency requested prosecutors to investigate Mr. Kim and Jang Hee-gon, chief of the Namdaemun police station, in order to discern whether they used power or received money when they probed the issue and ordered an examination.

Also, the agency has decided to take disciplinary action against six police officers of the Taepyeongno police station for neglecting crime scene management and relieve chief of Taepyeongno police station, chief of Criminal Investigation Department at Seoul Police Agency, Mr. Jang and Mr. Kim of their duties.

Hong Young-ki, commissioner of Seoul Police Agency, decided to step down "to assume full responsibility as a person to command investigation.”

An auditor of the inspection office stated, “Although we confirmed that Mr. Hong had a telephone conversation with Mr. Choi, Mr. Hong himself is insisting that he did not talk with him over the phone on matters related to the scandal.”

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