Police Commissioner: "No Personnel Disadvantages for Unvaccinated Police Officers"

"Human Rights Commission Complaint Details Not Yet Notified... Future Cooperation in Investigation"

Controversy Over Cryptocurrency Acquisition Ban
"Guidelines Reiterated to Prevent Conflicts of Interest"

National Police Agency Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong is receiving the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Following a frontline police officer filing a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission over the controversy surrounding the 'mandatory COVID-19 vaccination,' and amid heated public opinion within the police force regarding the directive banning new acquisitions of cryptocurrency, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong has actively clarified that "there will be no personnel disadvantages."

On the 17th, Commissioner Kim stated in a written briefing, "We have not been notified of specific details regarding the complaint to the Human Rights Commission," and added, "We will cooperate with any future investigations."

Previously, criticism had been continuously raised within the police that the leadership effectively forced COVID-19 vaccinations. One police officer even filed a complaint on the Human Rights Commission's website on the 30th of last month, alleging that the police leadership violated employees' human rights.

Regarding concerns from some quarters about disadvantages for unvaccinated police officers, Commissioner Kim firmly stated, "Whether or not one has received the vaccine is unrelated to personnel matters." Concerning adverse reactions following vaccination, he explained, "Currently, each city and provincial police agency has established and is operating a support task force (TF) that designates dedicated care personnel for those experiencing adverse reactions. We are also supporting procedures for national compensation and injury claims." He added, "Additionally, we will prepare further measures such as consolation payments using funds to support employees reporting adverse reactions."

From the 26th of last month to the 8th of this month, among a total of 117,579 eligible police officers, approximately 85,000 (72.6%) made reservations, and about 84,000 (71.7%) completed their first dose of vaccination.

Furthermore, regarding the controversy over infringement of property rights related to the recent official letter banning new acquisitions of cryptocurrency by employees in investigative and audit departments, Commissioner Kim said, "Guidelines on holding and trading virtual currencies have been implemented across all government departments since 2018 under the supervision of the Ministry of Personnel Management." He explained, "Due to the recent surge in virtual currency transactions, the guidelines on holding and trading virtual currencies were reiterated to prevent conflicts of interest arising from the use of internal information during duties such as related investigations."

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