Police Chief Again Refuses to Apologize for Harsh Crackdown on Rally... "Facts Are Different"

Chairman of the Public Safety Committee "No Tolerance for New Public Security Crackdown"
Assemblyman Jeong Chunsang "Suppression Budget Must Be Cut"
Court Rejects Warrants for 4 Protest Participants

Commissioner Jo Ji-ho of the National Police Agency once again refused to apologize on the 14th regarding the controversy over excessive police force surrounding the government protest held last weekend.

Director General Jo Ji-ho of the National Police Agency is responding to demands for an apology at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the same day, during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, Commissioner Jo said, "Everyone has confirmed through various channels, and there are differing evaluations. Some facts differ, but I do not think it is appropriate to argue over right and wrong," adding, "I regret that people were injured. The basic principle that police authority must be exercised with restraint and minimally remains unchanged now and will continue to be so in the future."

Opposition party lawmakers urged the police chief to apologize and promise to prevent recurrence. Lee Kwang-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "During the 2016 Candlelight Revolution, millions of people came out and created a peaceful protest culture, which is our people. However, things have changed since Commissioner Jo took office. It is aligning with the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's policy to silence the people's voices," and added, "The budget review process should be suspended until the police chief apologizes and promises to prevent recurrence."

Democratic Party lawmaker Chae Hyun-il said, "All four arrest warrants for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions members who attended the rally on the 12th were dismissed. Commissioner Jo denied the police's excessive crackdown and refused to apologize, but it became a weak excuse," pointing out, "It reminds one of the military dictatorship era in the 1980s. Accountability for abuse of police power must be demanded."

Jeong Chun-saeng, a lawmaker from the Party for National Innovation, said, "It was not an illegal rally; it was reported, and more people came than expected. Violent behavior by the police was witnessed during the crackdown," emphasizing, "There is a need to cut the budget related to the crackdown to guarantee the safety of the people's lives and the freedom of assembly."

Shin Jeong-hoon, chairman of the Public Administration and Security Committee, said, "During this rally, Han Chang-min, leader of the Social Democratic Party, suffered a cracked rib, and the police's raid on Pukyong National University in Busan was completely unnecessary," adding, "Violation of fundamental rights under the pretext of police authority and the creation of a new security state cannot be tolerated."

Earlier, the police arrested 11 participants of the rally and applied for arrest warrants for four of them, but the warrants were dismissed. The court stated that it was difficult to recognize the reasons, necessity, and validity for detention.

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