Police advocacy group condemns treatment of officers at Gyeongju APEC summit

A photo of a police officer deployed to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation events in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, sleeping on cardboard at a standby site, is displayed outside the National Police Agency in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday, alongside placards criticizing poor working conditions. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

After last month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, which saw up to 19,000 police officers deployed daily from across the country, Kim Keon-pyo, director of the Korean National Police Workers Council, said the reports he received from officers on the ground were far from commendable.

“They said they were treated like homeless people,” Kim told The Korea Times.

Angered by their accounts, Kim began collecting photos of the poor working conditions officers faced during the APEC events. The council is now holding a photo exhibition in Seoul this week displaying those conditions, sparking criticism of the treatment of deployed officers and renewed calls for better working conditions.

On Tuesday, photos displayed outside the National Police Agency in Seoul’s Seodaemun District showed the meager meals provided to officers and police standing by in a movie theater.

The council plans to hold additional exhibitions in front of the National Assembly on Wednesday and Friday.

Among the photos were images of meals served to some officers — a scene familiar to Kim Kyung-sik, another council director who was deployed to Gyeongju.

“The meal on duty was just rice, dried seaweed flakes and fish,” Kim recalled. “We were told each meal cost 10,000 won ($6.84), but the quality did not reflect that.”

“I’ve been a police officer for 35 years,” he added. “It was the same 35 years ago, and nothing has changed since.”

Lunch provided to some police officers deployed during this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit events in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is seen in this file photo. Courtesy of the Korean National Police Workers’ Council

The police officer who took the photo of the meal said he snapped it because he was surprised by its poor quality.

“There wasn’t even kimchi, and the fish was terrible,” he said on condition of anonymity. “Still, we were better off than others. Some officers were given sandwiches near or past their expiration dates. When the same fish was served again, I just bought my own food.”

He added that, in his view, this year’s APEC summit failed in terms of VIP security.

He said he was stationed at a hotel where Chinese President Xi Jinping was staying, but officers’ magnetic ID badges often fell off, creating potential security risks.

“Quite a few officers lost their ID badges,” he said. “While civilians could hardly approach the area, anyone with that badge could have reached the floors where Xi was staying.”

He also described poor conditions at a youth hostel used as a standby site, saying it was extremely cramped.

“I had to share a tiny room with three other officers whom I’d never met before, and there was only one bed,” he said. “I ended up waiting on a police bus instead.”

Police officers deployed for this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation events in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, rest in a movie theater in this file photo. Courtesy of the Korean National Police Workers’ Council

Another police officer, who was on standby at a movie theater, said on condition of anonymity that the carpet there was “the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“The photo I took at the movie theater doesn’t show how bad it really was. The floor was covered with dark stains and dust that rose every time I walked,” he said.

The National Police Agency said Monday it regretted the poor working conditions faced by deployed officers and was seeking to clarify some of the details.

The agency added that it rented standby sites such as theaters and resorts but struggled to secure enough large indoor spaces in Gyeongju.

Regarding the photo showing officers sleeping in the movie theater, it explained that while buses were used as standby sites, some officers who found them uncomfortable chose to rest there.

The agency added that it distributed roughly 10,500 blankets and installed more than 530 folding beds at standby sites for officers.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Monday ordered an investigation into the reports of poor working conditions.

“The prime minister expressed sympathy to officers who faced difficult environments at event sites,” the Office for Government Policy Coordination said Monday. “He ordered the National Police Agency to submit a detailed report and devise practical measures to prevent a recurrence.”