An image for illustrative purposes [123RF]
An image for illustrative purposes [123RF]

A former police officer who leaked investigation information in exchange for cash and entertainment has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Seoul Southern District Court Judge Ko So-young sentenced the former officer, identified only by his surname Lee, 54, to two years in prison and a fine of 30 million won on charges including bribery, mediated bribery, violation of the Act on Promotion of Electronic Processing of Criminal Justice Procedures, and violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. The court also ordered the forfeiture of about 25.55 million won ($19,580).

"The defendant held a position as a police officer that demands impartiality and integrity, yet he received cash and entertainment in exchange for brokering favors — conduct that cannot be viewed lightly," the court said. "Given the duration and amount of the bribes received, the degree of culpability is very high."

The court added that it took into account mitigating factors, including that Lee had confessed, had no prior criminal record and had dependents to support.

Lee, who was stationed at a police station in Seoul, is accused of receiving about 24 million won in cash from a broker between February 2022 and December 2024, along with entertainment at a high-end hostess bar worth about 1.55 million won — including per-person tabs of around 700,000 won.

In return, Lee repeatedly approached officers handling a case involving a businessman identified as A, probing them for updates on the investigation. He also allegedly conducted unauthorized lookups of personal information on individuals connected to the case through the police computer network and passed the data to broker B.

Lee had worked for more than a decade in criminal investigation units across Seoul and was assigned to the detective division of a Seoul police station at the time of the offenses. He was removed from office after the investigation began.

The trial for A and B, who were indicted alongside Lee, is scheduled for Aug. 26.


husn7@heraldcorp.com