Coast Guard Chief Slaps Subordinate While Drunk... "Drinking Party Incident"

When I said I wanted to go home, they grabbed me... I was slapped - 112 Report

The chief of the Tongyeong Maritime Police Station in Gyeongnam is embroiled in controversy for reportedly slapping a subordinate officer while intoxicated.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a 112 emergency call was received on the evening of the 29th of last month at around 9:50 PM reporting that Chief Han Cheol-woong had slapped someone on the cheek on a roadside in Gwangdo-myeon, Tongyeong City, as reported on the 2nd.

The caller was Lieutenant A, who belongs to the Tongyeong Maritime Police. At the time, he had been drinking with fellow officers and Chief Han. Chief Han said he would leave first, and when Lieutenant A tried to stop him, he was slapped and subsequently called 112. It is reported that when the police arrived at the scene, only Lieutenant A remained.

Tongyeong Maritime Police Station exterior view
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Lieutenant A gave a statement about the incident to the police and then went home. The next morning, Lieutenant A suddenly submitted a letter to the police stating that he did not wish to press charges against Chief Han.

The police closed the case, as assault cases fall under the category of semi-public offenses, which cannot be prosecuted without the victim's consent.

Chief Han admitted to physical contact but claimed it was unintentional and occurred while resisting a second attempt to move the gathering. He said, "Lieutenant A insisted on drinking more, and while I was refusing, there was slight contact, but I was heavily intoxicated and it was not intentional at all." He added, "The next day, Lieutenant A came to me and said he would withdraw the report. If I caused any offense, I apologized, and the matter was resolved amicably."

He also stated, "Regardless of the reason, as a commanding officer, I should have acted more cautiously, and I admit that was a mistake. We have cleared up the misunderstanding, and I hope this can be understood as a minor incident that can happen during drinking gatherings."

Meanwhile, the Korea Coast Guard began an internal investigation into Chief Han on the 31st of last month after becoming aware of the incident.

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