Suspects Flee One After Another in Gwangju and Jeonnam... "Serious Police Discipline Lapses" Pointed Out

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] There have been consecutive incidents of suspects fleeing in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas, raising concerns about serious disciplinary laxity within the police organization.

It is pointed out that the police's complacent attitude led to failure to follow guidelines such as preventing suspect escapes, thereby providing an opportunity for flight.

On the 14th at around 11:51 PM, the Yeosu Police Station in Jeonnam arrested A (21) under an arrest warrant issued on charges of facilitating juvenile prostitution.

The police put A into a transport vehicle and arrived at the police station parking lot, but instead of immediately placing him in the detention center, they took equipment out of the vehicle.

Taking advantage of this gap, A escaped and even managed to free one hand from loosely fastened handcuffs.

Currently, they are retracing A’s movements through closed-circuit television (CCTV) analysis and pursuing his whereabouts.

A similar incident occurred in Gwangju just two months ago.

On July 27th, at a police substation of the Gwangsan Police Station in Gwangju, B (37), who was wanted on charges including fraud, escaped after being caught.

B was arrested as a suspect and was being questioned at the substation when he asked to go outside around 4 AM to "smoke a cigarette" and then fled.

At that time, B’s hands were not handcuffed, and it took about an hour for the command to be notified after the suspect’s escape.

After a police chase, A was captured seven hours later at a nearby apartment about 2 km from the substation.

Regarding this incident, two police officers recently received a warning without penalty.

While it was fully acknowledged that there was negligence in managing the suspect and disciplinary action was necessary, the decision was made considering various mitigating factors such as their history of commendations.

In addition, a current police officer belonging to the Hwajeong District Unit of the Gwangju Western Police Station recently drew criticism after being booked for stealing a bicycle on the street.

At the Gwangju Eastern Police Station, a senior officer is facing disciplinary action for abusing power over subordinate staff.

A citizen criticized, "If the person who escaped had been a violent criminal, retaliatory crimes could have occurred. From the victim’s perspective, this is chilling. Preventing recurrence and appropriate accountability for those responsible are necessary."

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