Samhwa Foods 'Targeted Investigation' Controversy Reignites... New Daegu Police Chief Faces Heavy Burden

Union Holds Rally from New Commissioner’s First Day on Duty... Investigation Team Summoned to Police Agency as 'Subject of Investigation'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] The controversy over the 'planned investigation' into the Daegu-based jang (fermented sauce) specialty company (Samhwa Food), which was caught up in the 'insider whistleblower fabrication' case, is heating up again with the inauguration of the new Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency chief.

The 'jang recycling suspicion case' of Samhwa Food was handed over to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment by the Daegu Police Agency on June 17, thus leaving the police's hands. However, amid controversies over 'excessive investigation' and 'targeted investigation,' the investigators in charge have come under investigation by the National Police Agency. Furthermore, the company has filed a complaint with the prosecution against Daegu Police Agency executives for official secret leakage and dereliction of duty, so the dispute over the investigation of this matter is expected to continue for some time.

In this regard, the Samhwa Food labor union will hold a rally in front of the Daegu Police Agency at noon on the 10th, demanding a thorough investigation by the new police chief. This day marks the official start of duties for the new chief, Lee Sang-yong.

In a statement distributed in advance, the union said, "The series of illegal investigations (suspicions) have frustrated us by promoting the former chief to the rank of police commissioner instead of holding the parties and managers accountable," adding, "(This) raises concerns that a promotion party might be held for those responsible for the investigation and related personnel."

They continued, "The police must thoroughly self-reflect and make efforts to prevent the local 'police-media collusion,' comparable to the central 'prosecutor-media collusion,' from causing harm," and stated, "If our legitimate demands are not met, we will fight to the end together with all one million members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions."

Whistleblower of 'jang recycling suspicion' video makes conscience declaration... Police continue investigation despite being proven a 'fabricated insider whistleblowing'

Company executive accused of demanding money from company representative's wife recorded... Police dismiss as 'natural conversation'

The 'jang recycling suspicion case' of Samhwa Food originated from a media allegation on January 23 that "products returned after expiration dates were reprocessed and sold." On the day the report was released, the Daegu Food and Drug Administration and Dalseo District Office formed a joint investigation team and conducted an on-site inspection at the Samhwa Food Seongseo factory but found no issues and withdrew. The Seongseo Police Station concluded its own investigation with no further action.

Subsequently, the Daegu Police Agency's investigation division conducted two raids on the factory starting in February, summoned about 20 employees for questioning, and carried out a broad investigation into violations of the Food Sanitation Act until mid-June, after which the case was forwarded to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

The police and the company labor union have completely opposing accounts regarding the start of the investigation. On June 24, the police explained the investigation background, stating, "After the media reported related suspicions, while verifying the truth, we had contact with the union as they intended to file a complaint, but there was no coercion to accept the complaint," and "The union ultimately urged the police to investigate after failing to reach an agreement with the company."

However, the union rebutted, saying, "There was no prior movement to file a complaint or urge an investigation at all. If our union had initiated a complaint or investigation request, the police should disclose the names of those involved," and argued, "The essence of the Samhwa Food incident is a meticulously planned and biased investigation due to a conspiracy, not unsanitary conditions."

During the investigation, circumstances revealing that the case was meticulously planned from the start as a 'fabricated insider whistleblowing' also surfaced. An employee who claimed to have filmed the returned product recycling site confessed during a second police investigation that "all actions were due to the persuasion and pressure from former general affairs manager Mr. A."

Mr. A, the former general affairs manager who was identified as the person who persuaded and pressured company employees and was dismissed in February, was reported to the police at the end of March on charges including attempted extortion and trade secret infringement. The core of the complaint was that "Mr. A demanded a large sum of money during a meeting with the company representative's wife." About a month after receiving the complaint, the police summoned Mr. A for the first time in early May but dismissed the recorded part of the money demand as "a natural conversation in a casual situation" (according to the police's phone notification) and rejected both the evidence and the testimonies of employees who claimed they were manipulated behind the scenes.

Subsequently, the company submitted a petition to the Board of Audit and Inspection requesting an investigation into the corruption of the responsible police officers. The Board recently requested an investigation from the National Police Agency's inspection team, and it is known that the head of the Daegu Police Agency's investigation recently underwent a one-night, two-day summons and investigation at the National Police Agency.

Separately, the National Police Agency's Major Crimes Investigation Division is investigating possible corruption among related police officers based on evidence such as mobile phones seized during raids on the Daegu Police Agency and Seongseo Police Station (investigating the company executive on attempted extortion charges) on June 11.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.