Police book public servant who allegedly abused their team members

The Sokcho Police Precinct said on Monday that it booked a Grade 7 public servant — who works as a driver — and began reviewing reports that the official repeatedly intimidated members of their team.

The captured image shows a Grade 7 public servant in Yangyang County, Gangwon, driving a sanitation truck. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Sokcho Police Precinct said on Monday that it booked a Grade 7 public servant — who works as a driver — and began reviewing reports that the official repeatedly intimidated members of their team.

The official was booked after allegations surfaced that they neglected their duties by driving off in the sanitation truck during collection rounds, forced workers to chase the truck and subjected them to repeated humiliation and abuse.

Employees described working with the suspect as “martial law,” saying the official hit them whenever they lost money from trading stocks, with the victim being randomly chosen through a game of rock-paper-scissors. The workers also said they felt pressured to trade stocks on the official's behalf.

The public servant also allegedly required workers to wear red underwear and checked if they complied.

“If it wasn’t red, [the suspect] hit us on the spot,” one worker said.

Yangyang County reassigned the public servant on Sunday and removed them from duties involving sanitation workers.

Police have not received a criminal complaint from the workers. They opened the case after reviewing allegations raised in news reports.

Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, ordered the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the police to take strict action.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JANG GU-SEUL [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]