Police Officer Who Reported Gambling Den... Suspended Sentence in First Trial

Allegation of Official Secret Leakage

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A police officer accused of assisting illegal activities by repeatedly passing on tip-off information to a gambling den he was friendly with was sentenced to probation in the first trial.

On the 15th, Yoon Angji, a judge of Criminal Division 10 at the Seoul Western District Court, announced that on the 7th, he sentenced Mr. A (57), who was tried for leaking official secrets, to 8 months in prison with 2 years of probation.

The court pointed out, "The defendant, a police officer, used the fact that he learned during duty that a gambling report was received at a friend's store he was friendly with to inform the friend of the 112 tip-off information, thereby leaking it," and "This act undermined the fairness of official duties and created a risk of obstructing the investigation, so the culpability cannot be considered light."

However, the court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "The defendant has only one prior punishment of a fine for a different offense and has worked for about 33 years as a police officer without any special misconduct."

Mr. A was a police officer belonging to Mapo Police Station, responsible for handling 112 tip-off cases and duties such as cracking down on organized crime and entertainment business regulation. In March 20220, while patrolling the Seodaemun-gu area, he received a radio order stating, "About 10 men are gathered at a motorcycle shop gambling," and is accused of notifying the gambling den operator of the radio content.

He is also accused of, in June of the same year, hearing via radio about a 112 tip-off stating, "The reporter lost 6 million won gambling," at the same gambling location and calling to inform the operator.

It was revealed that Mr. A and the gambling den operator formed a "sunbeon-gye" (a rotating savings group where several people pool money and receive it in turns) and were close enough to call each other once every 2 to 4 days. Mr. A was confirmed to have played Go-Stop at this gambling den and often visited it during working hours. The gambling den operated as a motorcycle shop during the day.

In court, Mr. A admitted to having called the gambling den operator but denied passing on the 112 tip-off information. However, the court did not accept his claim, citing that he was on patrol in a patrol car when the gambling report was received by 112, and that forensic analysis of his mobile phone showed he called the operator 8 minutes after the radio order.

According to testimonies from fellow officers, after a gambling-related tip-off was received, Mr. A repeatedly listened 2 to 3 times to the reporter's voice information on the 112 terminal installed in the patrol car and then called the gambling den. Mr. A claimed, "I only called an acquaintance to buy a motorcycle," but a fellow officer who witnessed this stated, "I suspected he was informing the gambling den because he frequently visited this gambling den."

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