A former chief of Seoul's Seongdong Police Station has been given a light disciplinary penalty of a three-month pay cut for using a police emergency-response vehicle to commute in order to get around an alternate-day driving rule for public institutions.
According to police officials on the 15th, the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Korean National Police Agency decided to impose a three-month pay reduction on Kwon Mi-ye, the former chief of the Seongdong station. The penalty cuts one-third of the officer's salary for one to three months and falls under light discipline, a lower level than heavy discipline such as dismissal, removal, demotion or suspension.
An investigation found that Kwon personally used an electric vehicle assigned to the station's rapid-response team for emergency calls, including for commuting, to avoid the alternate-day driving rule for public institutions. An internal inspection by the police agency also confirmed that the rapid-response team was left without the vehicle for part of its duties while it was being used for commuting.
Citing the seriousness of the case, the police agency relieved Kwon of duty on May 21 this year and referred the matter to the Central Disciplinary Committee.
