JAKARTA - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the Korean National Police Agency on Thursday for releasing an unapproved document regarding the police reshuffle before it was finalized, saying it was a "national disciplinary offense" or "unreasonable mistake" by government officials. .
"I took the story from a news article and looked it up to find out what really happened. I found that something absurd happened," President Yoon told reporters referring to the incident, reported the Korea Times June 23.
"The police have released a list of recommendations for a reshuffle which cannot be confirmed yet, because it must first obtain approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs and then the President. This is nonsense and is equivalent to a national disciplinary disturbance as the draft list has been published," he criticized.
Police unveiled a list of 28 police officers who will be promoted to senior inspector general around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, before receiving confirmation from the ministry and the president. Two hours later, the police released a new list in which seven names were changed to others, as a result of the interior ministry's decision.
Police explained it was an error during communication with the interior ministry, but the interior and safety minister said "the police made the announcement even before the president approved the appointment."
The incident showed friction between the police and the interior ministry. The two are in conflict, as the interior ministry is currently trying to set up an organization under its purview that oversees the police.
The ministry on Tuesday announced its recommendations on democratic police management, aiming to establish a "police support organization" within the ministry.
Police claimed this would be a "controlling division of the police" and would jeopardize the independence of officers. However, the ministry said the organization would focus on supporting the police in proposing rules relating to investigations, recommending top officials and providing other administrative assistance.
Against this backdrop, the disclosure of the previous draft by the police is alleged to be an expression of dissatisfaction with the interior ministry, which the ministry has quelled with President Yoon's support.
"The person in charge of making personnel decisions is the president," said President Yoon.
"The draft document was reported by the press as if it was the final version, after it was released to the media. So the media reported the incident as a reversal of an official decision, which is not accurate because the document is still in the process without being confirmed, because the ministry of home affairs has not yet given its approval, not to mention president."
With President Yoon taking a stand to hold the police agency responsible for the incident, speculation is growing that an investigation could be launched, to tighten police discipline and punish those guilty.
"The prosecutor's office is required to have stronger independence and neutrality than the police, but the prosecutor did not find any problems in the justice ministry which has a prosecution division," said President Yoon, a former South Korean attorney general.
Separately, an official in the presidential office said, "The president seems to have underlined it was a serious mistake." But the office could not be reached for comment on whether there would be a further investigation into the agency.
Despite President Yoon's strong statement, the police continued to demonstrate against the interior ministry's move. The National Consultative Body of Police Officers, considered a union of police officers, held a protest at the Government Complex in Seoul Thursday, condemning the interior ministry's guidelines as "an attempt to control the police" and "exploiting the organization as a political tool."
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