The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office on the 14th issued a public apology to those harmed during the investigation into suspicions that Inspector Baek Hae-ryong "covered up a customs drug probe."
The office said in a press notice that day, "We extend our deepest apologies to those harmed by violations of the law by a police officer affiliated with the joint investigation team."
It added, "We notified the Korean National Police Agency of 'allegations warranting disciplinary action,' in accordance with relevant laws including the State Public Officials Service Regulations, over various violations of law during Inspector Baek's investigation into customs at the Yeongdeungpo Police Station and while on secondment."
Inspector Baek joined the joint investigation team in Oct. last year at the direction of President Lee Jae-myung, but the secondment ended that day. Baek will return to the Hwagok precinct as head of the precinct at the Seoul Gangseo Police Station, Baek's original post, to handle public safety duties.
Earlier, Inspector Baek disclosed investigation-related materials to reporters and on social media (SNS) such as Facebook, and in the process, the personal information of defendants and investigators was made public without anonymization, sparking controversy.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said, "We are consulting with the Korean National Police Agency to reorganize the investigation team," adding, "We will swiftly and fairly investigate the remaining suspicions in accordance with the law and principles and inform the public of the substance of the allegations."
The joint investigation team last month announced interim findings of no charges on most of the allegations raised by Inspector Baek and is set to release the final results soon.