Police Take Action to Uphold Public Service Discipline During Chuseok

Special Inspection of Public Service Corruption Until the 24th
Deployment of Inspection and Audit Departments

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency will conduct a "Special Inspection to Establish Public Service Discipline during the Chuseok Holiday" for fifteen days from the 10th to the 24th. This inspection will involve personnel from the National Police Agency headquarters, city and provincial police agencies, and the inspection and audit departments of each police station.

The main inspection items include public service corruption such as bribery and entertainment inducements that may occur during the Chuseok holiday, violations of COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, passive or formalistic work handling, various cases of dignity damage and public disturbance such as drunk driving and sexual misconduct. The police explained, "We plan to prevent violations of duties that are expected to draw public criticism through proactive public service discipline establishment activities focused on prior inspection and guidance."

As controversies over police officers' sexual misconduct continue recently, there is a growing call for this special inspection to go beyond establishing public service discipline before and after the holiday and lead to practical prevention of misconduct. Last month, a police officer in his 30s was suspended from duty and is under investigation on suspicion of having sexual relations with a teenage same-sex youth. In June, three police officers who sexually harassed female officers in a group chat were severely disciplined with dismissal, demotion, and suspension, respectively.

From January to July this year, 75 cases of sexual harassment and sexual violence within the police were reported to the Police Human Rights Center, nearly 90% of last year's total of 83 cases. In the first half of this year, 26 police officers were disciplined for sexual misconduct, among whom 20 received severe disciplinary actions such as dismissal, suspension, demotion, or discharge. At a recent press conference, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong emphasized efforts to ensure strict handling without collusion, reduction, or concealment, victim protection, and prevention of recurrence, stating, "We are establishing a three-dimensional response system centered on the 'Comprehensive Measures for the Prevention and Eradication of Police Sexual Crimes' established last August."

Meanwhile, to create a peaceful holiday atmosphere, the police will promote "Special Criminal Activities for the Chuseok Holiday," including strict responses to crimes infringing on the livelihoods of ordinary citizens, and set the two weeks before and after Chuseok (13th to 26th) as a special quarantine period, cooperating closely with quarantine authorities and local governments.

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