Gyeonggi governor to file police misconduct complaint

Gov. Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province is to file a complaint against the chief police officer of the Seongnam Police Station and other police investigators over alleged abuses of authority.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Lee said he would file a complaint against the investigators and the commanding officers of the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, who had filed criminal charges against him over alleged power abuses and violations of election law. 

“While most police officers have heavy workloads (and work hard to serve) the country, the investigators in this case have abused their authority to politically manipulate the plot and have harmed the dignity of the police,” Lee said.

“(I am left with no other choice but to) sue the investigators and the commanding officers (of the police station) for colluding with the accuser, leaking investigation information, forcing statements from witnesses and falsifying warrants.”

Lee, who had planned to file the complaint Monday, said he would instead file Tuesday.

Lee is suspected of abusing his authority while serving as Seongnam’s mayor by forcing his older brother, now deceased, into a mental hospital and of violating election law by falsely denying such allegations during a candidates’ debate ahead of the June local elections.

Among the charges Lee faces, the one related to his older brother was initiated by the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, which also says that Lee lied about an alleged affair with an actress who has made such claims.

Lee also allegedly spread false information about his criminal record and a local land development project when he was a candidate for governor.

On Thursday, police referred Lee’s case to the prosecution and requested his indictment on three charges, all related to his older brother and the land development project, including abuse of power and violating the election law by spreading false information. Police had questioned Lee on Oct. 29.

Lee continues to deny all allegations. He said police investigators had acted “illogically” in concluding he had abused his power.

In the Facebook post, Lee addressed the situation concerning his brother’s admission to a mental institution and said it was his brother’s wife who had taken the action.

“My brother, who had suffered from bipolar disorder since 2002, had committed several irregularities, causing disturbances to government officials and public property, and threatened to kill my mother,” Lee said in the Facebook post.

“His illness worsened and he deliberately crashed his car head-on into a dump truck in a suicide attempt on March 16, 2013. In November 2014, his wife committed him to a mental institution.”

Police are reported as expressing frustration over Lee’s decision, claiming the investigations were conducted fairly.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)