SNS posts captioned 'maybe I should stop eating blood pudding' spark outrage

Gwangmyeong Police Station chief files official complaint; officer suspended for 3 months

A photo from a death scene that Officer A posted on his SNS account alongside inappropriate captions. [SNS screenshot]
A photo from a death scene that Officer A posted on his SNS account alongside inappropriate captions. [SNS screenshot]

An active-duty police officer who posted photos from a death scene and images of an internal fingerprint identification system on his personal SNS account has received a deferred prosecution, it has been confirmed.

The first criminal division of the former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's Ansan branch, headed by Chief Prosecutor Ryu Ju-tae, issued a deferred prosecution on Sept. 23 against Officer A, a detective inspector attached to Gwangmyeong Police Station, on charges of leaking official secrets.

A deferred prosecution is a non-indictment disposition in which prosecutors determine that criminal charges are substantiated but conclude the case does not warrant a trial.

Officer A was accused of leaking official secrets after responding to a death scene in February, photographing it with his mobile phone, downloading a screenshot of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) displaying the deceased's fingerprints, and posting both images on his SNS account.

Along with the death scene photo and the AFIS screenshot, Officer A reportedly included captions such as "Anyone want to guess what this is?" and "Maybe I should stop eating blood pudding." After screenshots of the post spread online and sparked public outrage, the Gwangmyeong Police Station's audit and human rights office referred the matter to the station chief, who filed an official complaint against Officer A on charges of leaking official secrets.

Yu Jae-seong, who was then serving as acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, ordered Officer A's immediate removal from duty and called for a strict investigation. The agency announced in a press release that Yu had directed Officer A's immediate suspension from duties along with a rigorous investigation and internal audit. Yu said it was "absolutely unacceptable for police officers, who are supposed to protect public safety, to post inappropriate content on SNS involving citizens whose lives have been taken."

The Ansan Sangnok Police Station, which handled the investigation, referred Officer A to prosecutors in March. He also received a three-month suspension as a disciplinary measure in connection with the case.

Prosecutors who took over the case secured additional materials, including a written confession, then referred the matter to a citizens' committee to seek an opinion on whether to indict. Of the 12 committee members, nine recommended deferred prosecution and three recommended a full trial, with the panel concluding in favor of deferral. Prosecutors issued the deferred prosecution based on those findings.

Prosecutors determined the case was serious given that Officer A had committed an act capable of undermining public trust in police and damaging the bereaved family's dignity and emotional well-being. However, they decided against sending the case to trial, taking into account that Officer A had served as a police officer for more than 20 years and had already received a three-month disciplinary suspension.


yg@heraldcorp.com