[2021 National Audit] Police Officers' Sexual Misconduct and Drunk Driving Persist... Illegal Filming and Drunk Hit-and-Run Also Occur

353 Cases of Sexual Misconduct and 422 Cases of Drunk Driving Over 5 Years
Assemblyman Lee Young Calls for "Strict Disciplinary Action"

Lee Young, member of the People Power Party.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] There have been ongoing concerns about misconduct among police officers, including sexual misconduct and drunk driving.

According to data on sexual misconduct and drunk driving involving police officers and police-affiliated public officials over the past five years, submitted by the National Police Agency to Lee Young, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, there were 353 disciplinary actions related to sexual misconduct such as sexual harassment, sexual crimes, and prostitution, and 422 disciplinary actions related to drunk driving.

Disciplinary actions for sexual misconduct by police officers were 62 cases in 2016, 82 in 2017, 48 in 2018, 54 in 2019, 68 in 2020, and 39 cases as of August 2021. By rank, lieutenants accounted for the highest number with 149 cases, followed by sergeants with 56, senior patrol officers with 45, patrol officers with 38, corporals with 36, inspectors with 24, and chief inspectors with 5 cases.

Among these were cases such as forcible molestation inside a vehicle after gatherings with acquaintances (dismissal), illegal filming of parts of a victim's body (dismissal), sexual harassment through repeated physical contact (dismissal), verbal and physical sexual harassment toward work-related personnel (suspension), and prostitution through a chat application (dismissal).

Drunk driving cases by police officers were 69 in 2016, 85 in 2017, 88 in 2018, 64 in 2019, 73 in 2020, and 43 as of August 2021. By rank, lieutenants accounted for 192 cases, patrol officers 64, corporals 58, and senior patrol officers 78.

Notably, 32 police officers were dismissed or discharged for cases involving multiple drunk driving offenses, causing fatal accidents due to drunk driving, or fleeing the scene after causing accidents while drunk driving (hit-and-run under the influence).

Rep. Lee stated, "Sexual misconduct and drunk driving by police officers, who are supposed to apprehend sexual crime perpetrators and crack down on drunk driving, continue to occur," adding, "Strict disciplinary measures are necessary for police officers compared to other public officials to eradicate sexual misconduct and drunk driving among them."

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