The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Railway Police has been found to have unfairly mitigated disciplinary actions against sexual violence perpetrators, concealed and minimized incidents, and inflicted secondary harm on victims by transmitting false information, according to an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection.
On the 19th, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the results of its regular audit of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which included these findings.
According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, a staff member at the Railway Police, identified only as A, reported internally that superior B committed sexual violence by touching A's body, including his thighs and shoulders, seven times during a company dinner in May 2022. B reportedly made inappropriate remarks several times, stating, "I may not be able to help A's life, but I can ruin it."
Sexual violence crimes are subject to severe penalties, yet organized concealment and mitigation actions occurred to soften punishment for the perpetrators.
According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Chairperson of the Sexual Complaints Committee, identified as C, recognized that B should be referred for investigation, but still insisted on drafting the resolution as a minor penalty rather than a severe one, such as suspension or dismissal. Additionally, D, an external member of the Sexual Complaints Committee, suggested persuading victim A not to request an investigation, saying, "If an investigation is requested for B, there is a high likelihood of a fine and subsequent forced resignation."
Consultant E conveyed false information to the victim, stating that "requests for investigation would be returned due to jurisdiction issues." Ultimately, A filed a lawsuit against B directly, resulting in B being fined 7 million won in the first trial. The Board of Audit and Inspection noted that secondary harm occurred to the victim due to attorney fees and other legal procedural expenses.
In relation to this case, the Board of Audit and Inspection stated that "the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was requested to impose a suspension on C and demote E," and insisted that handling minor penalties instead of requiring severe penalty resolutions for crimes that should be referred for investigation must not occur again, urging the head of the Railway Special Judicial Police to take caution.
The Railway Police was also found to have engaged in misconduct, such as accepting 'sponsorship' for workshop expenses from service providers.
The Railway Police held an expanded executive workshop at a restaurant in Daejeon on Dec. 1, 2022, and it was reported that the cost was covered by an information technology service provider. The expense was about 3 million won.
It was also revealed that, despite reports of such matters to the internal whistleblower center, there was no reception without special reasons.
Instances of improper upgrade of airline seats and online lottery ticket purchases during working hours were also uncovered. An employee at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, identified as F, reportedly purchased online lottery tickets 4,570 times during work hours.
Additionally, an employee at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, identified as G, was subject to severe penalties for illegally filming women's bodies but was found to have required minor penalties due to reasons such as the alleged lightness of the misconduct. Another employee, identified as H, caused serious injury to a middle school girl through drink-driving on a bicycle. This incident is also subject to severe penalties due to drink-driving, yet the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reported to have asked for a minor penalty.