Chae Soo-chang, former head of Seoul Gangbuk Police Station, was dismissed Thursday for his recent open call for his boss ― Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Jo Hyun-ho ― to resign to take responsibility for a torture scandal.
Chae balked at the decision by the disciplinary committee of the National Police Agency, saying, “I’ll file a suit to overturn the decision.”
The dismissal, the strongest punishment against officers, halves Chae’s pension and bans him from being a civil servant for five years.
Four investigators under Chae’s control were recently arrested for the manipulation of surveillance camera footage showing their use of torture on criminal suspects.
At the height of probe into the scandal, Chae told reporters that it is the result of a competition-oriented assessment system established by Jo, in which officers are encouraged to outdo peers by any means. Chae offered to resign from the chief police station post in the wake of the scandal.