Kim Sun-ho, Director of Police Bureau: "Arrest and Investigation of Innohoe Members... Legitimate Law Enforcement"

Kim Soon-ho, Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (second from the left) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] Kim Sun-ho, Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated that the arrest and investigation of former labor movement organization members he was involved with in the past was "lawful law enforcement as a police officer."

On the 24th, during a comprehensive audit at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, in response to questions from Lee Seong-man, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, such as "Do you take pride in forcibly arresting and investigating Innohoe?" Kim replied, "Yes." Kim is suspected of having informed on colleagues from the 1989 labor movement organization Incheon-Bucheon Democratic Workers' Association (Innohoe) and, in return, being specially recruited as a counterintelligence agent by the police.

Later, Lee played a broadcast news segment containing testimony from a democratization movement activist who was detained in the counterintelligence detention center in 1990, claiming that Kim had persuaded them with "If you turn yourself around, you will be specially recruited at grade 5." Lee asked, "Did you personally interrogate these individuals?" Kim responded, "I don't know what case that is." When asked if he had personally interrogated suspects related to the democratization movement, Kim said, "Almost never."

When asked whether he knew any of the detainees personally and if he had persuaded them to turn around and become police officers, mentioning special police recruitment, Kim answered "No" to all. In response to Lee's question about whether his eight awards for outstanding criminal apprehension and his rapid promotion from sergeant to inspector in 15 years while working in the counterintelligence investigation department were related to these (public security) cases, Kim said, "Only one case is related; the rest were all exam-based promotions."

Meanwhile, Lee, along with representatives from Innohoe, the Revolutionary Workers' Federation, and the Seoul Regional University Democratic Alumni Association Council, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office before the afternoon audit, claiming that Kim contributed to the new public security regime after the Park Jong-cheol incident and arrested 269 workers. They also called for Kim's dismissal.

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