Chairman Lim Hyun-taek Refuses to Cooperate After 1 Hour of Attendance... Police Say "Criticism Is Unjustified"

Im Hyeon-taek, president of the Korean Pediatric Society, who was reported for inciting collective action by medical residents, refused to be questioned and left the police station one hour after appearing.

On the 12th, Lim Hyuntaek, president of the Korean Pediatric Society, is reading a statement before entering the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Public Crime Investigation Unit building in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Heo Younghan]

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit summoned President Im as a suspect around 10 a.m. on the 12th, but after one hour of questioning, Im raised an issue with the summons date, refused to be questioned, and left, the police said.

The police stated, "We believed the investigation would proceed normally since he appeared on the scheduled date, but we deeply regret that he refused to be questioned after about an hour."

They added, "Unlike his official stance expressed at the time of appearance, we cannot accept that he left without any statement and then, within a few hours, criticized the police investigation with false information."

President Im's side claimed that although they informed the police of multiple available dates, the police emphasized only a specific date and tried to build a justification for non-appearance.

Lee Jae-hee, the legal representative of President Im, said, "We submitted multiple available dates, but the police repeatedly confirmed whether he would refuse to appear on the 12th," adding, "They refused to coordinate the schedule citing guidelines and scheduling conflicts, which we felt was an attempt to repeatedly build a justification for non-appearance."

Lee also pointed out that the police made inappropriate remarks when asked about the investigation schedule. Regarding the inappropriate remarks, he said, "We formally protested and responded that if this is not corrected, today's investigation would be impossible," and claimed, "The police continued coercive behavior and wanted an investigation with a predetermined conclusion."

The police plan to notify a new summons date. President Im's side is reportedly considering exercising the right to remain silent if summoned again.

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