Exclusive: 13 officers indicted on sex crime charges through August as misconduct cases top 100 a year

Sex misconduct audits exceed 100 cases annually

'Officers need self-control training,' expert says

An AI-generated illustration depicting a decline in public trust in police. [AI-generated]

Thirteen police officers have been indicted on sex crime charges so far this year, while internal sex misconduct audits have exceeded 100 cases annually, data obtained by The Herald Business shows. Experts warn that misconduct by some officers is eroding public trust in the entire institution at a time when police are gaining greater investigative authority under a sweeping overhaul of the criminal justice system.

The data, on police sex misconduct cases obtained Sunday through the office of Lee Sang-sik, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, showed 13 officers had been indicted on sex crime charges through August of this year.

The charges against the officers include rape, indecent assault, public indecency, violations of the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts, and violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes.

Data on police sex misconduct cases submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to the office of Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee. The figures have exceeded 20 cases every year. [AI-generated]

A total of 151 officers have been indicted on sex crime charges from 2021 through August of this year — more than 20 per year on average. The annual figures were 24 in 2021, 22 in 2022, 27 in 2023, 37 in 2024, and 28 in 2025.

Internal sex misconduct audit filings have also topped 100 cases every year for the past five years, according to data compiled by the police agency's Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence and Stalking Reporting Center, which handles internal workplace misconduct complaints, covering the period from 2018 through August of this year.

The annual breakdown was 139 cases in 2021, 145 in 2022, 129 in 2023, 150 in 2024, 109 in 2025, and 69 through August of this year.

Data on internal police sex misconduct reports filed from 2021 through August 2026. [AI-generated]

Cases of police sex misconduct show no sign of letting up. The Korean National Police Agency launched an audit in July after a South Gyeongsang Province officer came under suspicion of having sexually assaulted female subordinates for years.

In June, a police inspector in his 50s identified as A, stationed in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting four female officers. He is alleged to have made unwanted physical contact with junior female colleagues at restaurants and bars between December 2024 and May 2025. A was dismissed following an internal audit late last year.

Last month, a police inspector in his 50s identified as B, assigned to a district unit of the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, was arrested on the spot on charges of assaulting a woman. He is accused of making unwanted physical contact with a woman at a restaurant in Dongjak-gu, Seoul.

Experts say sex crimes and other misconduct by officers must not be allowed to further undermine public confidence in police, particularly as new criminal procedure rules expand the force's investigative powers.

"Even a drunk-driving incident by an officer makes the news," said Lim Jun-tae, a professor of police administration at Dongguk University. "Because they are civil servants who enforce the law, the public holds them to a stricter standard."

"If officers frequently engage in personal misconduct — not just investigative problems — public trust will inevitably fall," Lim said.

20ki@heraldcorp.com