"Everything Will Turn Out Fine": Police Officer Who Accepted Bribes to Cover Up Cases Goes to Trial

Cover-Ups of Influencer and Stock Price Manipulation Cases
Indicted and Detained for Abuse of Authority and Bribery
Accepted About 8 Million Won Through Repeated Interference

A former head of the investigation team at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul has been indicted for accepting bribes worth several million won in exchange for covering up cases involving a well-known influencer and a stock price manipulation offender.

Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Ji-ye Lee

On August 20, the Financial and Securities Crime Joint Investigation Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Shin Donghwan) indicted Mr. A (police inspector), who served as head of the investigation team at Gangnam Police Station, on charges including abuse of authority, leaking official secrets, and accepting bribes. Police Superintendent Mr. B, who connected the parties involved to Mr. A and received hospitality together, was indicted without detention on charges including arranging bribery, while Mr. C, a multi-level marketing operator who gave department store gift certificates worth 2 million won, was indicted without detention for offering bribes.

According to the prosecution, Mr. A, while serving as head of the investigation team at Gangnam Police Station, repeatedly accepted requests from involved parties between August 2023 and February this year to cover up cases and provide investigative information, receiving approximately 8 million won in money and hospitality over several occasions. He has been brought to trial on these charges.

Mr. A and Mr. B, while investigating a fraud case involving a famous influencer, changed the influencer’s status from suspect to reference in the computer system, thereby excluding the influencer from the list of suspects. The prosecution believes that Mr. B, who was acquainted with the influencer’s husband Mr. D, facilitated the connection between the parties and Mr. A. Investigations found that Mr. A and Mr. B received entertainment from Mr. D at nightlife establishments in February and July of last year, worth 2.05 million won and 2.2 million won, respectively.

Some of the phone call contents exchanged last August between Mr. A, who was the head of the investigation team in Gangnam, Seoul, and Mr. D, the influencer husband. Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office

It was also revealed that Mr. A was involved in another fraud case. In an effort to suppress the case, he encouraged the victim to withdraw their complaint through a fellow police officer and pressured a junior officer to conclude the case with a not-guilty finding. This case was ultimately closed without referral to the prosecution.

Mr. A was also involved in a stock price manipulation case. When so-called "market manipulation expert" Mr. E was accused of fraud, Mr. A was requested to handle the case and subsequently provided investigative information; this case, too, was closed without charges after just two months. Mr. A was confirmed to have received hospitality at nightlife establishments from Mr. E.

These offenses were repeatedly committed. Mr. A accepted valuables from another suspect in a fraud case and, after not referring the case to prosecutors, traveled overseas to receive $3,000 in the name of pocket money. Additionally, Mr. A provided investigative favors to cryptocurrency and multi-level marketing operator Mr. C in exchange for department store gift certificates worth 2 million won and pressured a junior officer for an early resolution of the case. This case was likewise closed with a not-guilty finding within two months.

The prosecution also uncovered circumstances indicating that Mr. A attempted to cover up his crimes by fabricating false scenarios and coaxing related parties into making false statements. This investigation expanded after prosecutors, while probing a stock price manipulation case involving a KOSDAQ-listed company with Mr. D’s involvement, discovered indications of collusion between police officers and criminals. Mr. D was indicted and detained in May of this year. Following searches of Gangnam Police Station and Mr. A’s residence in March, Mr. A was taken into custody on August 5.

A prosecution official stated, "When police officers collude with criminals to accept bribes or hospitality, it constitutes a grave crime that paralyzes the very core functions of the criminal justice system," adding, "We will do our utmost to uphold the rule of law."

Meanwhile, the police have suspended both Mr. A and Mr. B from their duties in connection with this incident.

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