Placed Flowers on New Female Officer's Underwear Saying "You Look Obscene"... Multiple Sexual Harassment Disciplinary Actions Against Police

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Male police officers at Taebaek Police Station in Gangwon Province were disciplined for sexually harassing a newly appointed female officer.

According to data submitted by Gangwon Provincial Police Agency to Assemblyman Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party on the 4th, the Gangwon Police Agency disciplined 10 out of 12 officers who were brought before the disciplinary committee last July.

For the two officers under investigation for forcible molestation and defamation charges, the disciplinary committee will convene to decide after the investigation is completed.

Regarding the disciplinary actions, five officers received severe penalties: dismissal of 2, demotion of 1, and suspension of 2. Five others received lighter penalties: salary reduction of 2, reprimand of 2, and a warning without record for 1. No officers received the highest level of discipline, dismissal without reinstatement.

Among the 10 disciplined officers, six reportedly filed appeals, stating they could not accept the decisions. The appeal review system allows public officials to contest disciplinary actions or other unfavorable decisions against their will, which are then reviewed and decided upon.

Earlier, female officer A posted a lengthy message of over 20 pages on the police internal bulletin board in March, claiming sexual harassment. The post revealed incidents of sexual humiliation and injustices she personally experienced since her appointment as a patrol officer.

According to the post, the offending officers made sexually harassing remarks such as "Your face looks obscene" and "Stick out your chest and learn the job."

Among the perpetrators, some secretly entered the female officers' lounge, placed flowers on their underwear, or spread personal information.

Additionally, it was found that the police station’s workplace council failed to protect the victim and instead supported the perpetrators, indicating secondary victimization.

In response, the National Police Agency instructed the Gangwon Police Agency to discipline 12 officers belonging to Taebaek Police Station and issue official warnings to 4 others.

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