[News Terms] Commissioner General of Police 'Eupchammasok' VS Frontline Police Officers 'Jibusangso'

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is expressing his position on the 'Itaewon Disaster' at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 1st, when Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, acknowledged the inadequate response at the Itaewon disaster site and said, "I will conduct inspection and investigation with the resolve of Eupchamma-sok," a post titled "Since you mentioned Eupchamma-sok, I am submitting a Jibu-sangso" was uploaded on the police internal network Polnet.

Eupchamma-sok (泣斬馬謖) is a phrase that metaphorically refers to strictly upholding the law and restoring discipline by setting aside personal feelings. It originates from the Three Kingdoms period in China, when Zhuge Liang, leading the northern expedition, tearfully executed Ma Su, who disobeyed military orders and recklessly commanded the Battle of Jishan, resulting in a crushing defeat. Commissioner Yoon’s use of this expression was interpreted as his intention to severely punish subordinates to correct the police’s mistakes.

This expression by Commissioner Yoon led to a Jibu-sangso from a frontline police officer. Jibu-sangso (持斧上疏) means a memorial submitted while holding an axe, implying a request to be beheaded if the appeal is rejected. It is known as the strongest form of memorial submitted by a subject to the king during the Joseon Dynasty. The officer’s Jibu-sangso was summarized as a plea to Commissioner Yoon not to punish the Yongsan Police Station and Itaewon Police Box staff who fought desperately at the scene on the day of the disaster.

In fact, the officer wrote in the post, "Ma Su was held accountable for violating military law, but the Yongsan Station and Itaewon Police Box did their best amid the chaos," and added, "Instead of a harsh inspection, Yongsan Station should receive warm encouragement and generous support." He also stated, "Before scrutinizing the on-site response and the actions of the personnel, the cause of the accident must be identified and a swift investigation conducted first," and concluded, "I want to see a resolute Zhuge Liang who writes a declaration of departure rather than one who tearfully executes subordinates."

Besides this post, there are many others requesting to stop inspections of the Yongsan Station and Itaewon Police Box staff. Although the disaster resulted in 156 casualties, the Itaewon Police Box staff at the time raised their voices and worked hard to save lives. Sergeant Kim Baek-gyeom is a representative example. His struggle amid the Itaewon crowd during the disaster was later shared on social networking services (SNS), deeply moving citizens.

However, contrary to these appeals, on the day of Commissioner Yoon’s Eupchamma-sok remark, the National Police Agency formed a special inspection team and launched a large-scale inspection of all personnel from field officers to commanders. Criticism arose inside and outside the police that responsibility was being shifted onto the on-site police, and the Police Workplace Council demanded in a meeting with Commissioner Yoon that "on-site police box staff should not become targets of selective inspection." Commissioner Yoon is reported to have expressed willingness to accept the Police Workplace Council’s request. However, this is interpreted as a commitment to ensure that inspections are fair and not selective targeting.

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