By Alexander Ahn
Former National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Hyun-oh, 57, is the target of criticism after he neglected a female reporter whose foot was run over by his car on Tuesday outside the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office.
The former commissioner was leaving the Seocho office after being summoned for a second round of questioning since May 9 over allegations he defamed the late President Roh Moo-hyun when the accident occurred.
The female reporter was following Cho as he left the building and entered his Hyundai Equus.
The car started to move with the door still open as she was trying to get his response on his thoughts on the excessive number of police officers currently escorting him, and the back right tire ran over her left foot.
Cho quickly exited the Equus and switched to another car.He hurried away from the scene without apologizing or checking on the woman’s condition.The injured reporter was subsequently rushed to hospital.
The remaining police officers tasked with escorting the excommissioner away from the building disappeared from the scene soon after. Cho and his chauffeur are being investigated for misconduct.
The former commissioner resigned due to a number of events highlighting the agency’s corruption and incompetence in managing crimes.Some of the notorious cases include the delayed response in a rape and murder case in Suwon, the mishandling of a brawl between the police and gangsters in October of 2011 in Incheon, and the personal promotion of one of Cho’s close associates within the police hierarchy.