Excessive "Public Security" Mockery... National Police Agency: "All Officers Are Korean Police"

Rumors of "Foreign" or "Fake Police" Spread in Some Online Communities
National Police Agency: "Such Actions Hinder Legitimate Law Enforcement"

In response to the spread of false information—such as some protesters and online communities referring to Korean police officers deployed to maintain order at the local election sites as "Chinese police"—the National Police Agency has warned against disseminating such rumors, which hinder legitimate law enforcement activities.

The National Police Agency stated on the 8th that after promptly verifying all reported cases, all individuals in question were confirmed to be Korean police officers performing their official duties onsite, and the allegations raised are not true.

On the 8th, in front of the entrance to the Handball Gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, citizens are shouting slogans as protests blocking the vote counting center continue, condemning the shortage of ballots in the local election and demanding a re-election. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The National Police Agency strongly criticized the recent proliferation of unverified claims and posts defaming police officers on certain online communities and social networking services (SNS), with speculations such as "foreign police" or "fake police" aimed at officers working at rallies and demonstrations. The agency emphasized that these actions lower the morale of the 140,000 police officers nationwide who are silently dedicated to protecting public safety.

The agency also warned against the spread of groundless false information that makes legitimate law enforcement more difficult, urging the public to refrain from such actions.

A representative of the National Police Agency stated, "We will thoroughly review and address concerns about any inappropriate attire or behavior and do our utmost through training to ensure police activities meet the expectations of the public."

Meanwhile, at the Olympic Park site in Songpa-gu, Seoul—where protests demanding a re-election due to a shortage of ballots were held—Superintendent Kim of the second unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police explained to protesters who requested his name and affiliation that "I recently transferred from another department and have not yet received my new government ID." Some protesters misunderstood "another department" as "subcontractor" and subsequently spread false claims online that "Chinese police are being contracted to provide police services."

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