Over 350 police disciplinary actions in South Korea overturned via appeals in five years

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- More than 350 disciplinary actions against police officers have been reduced, overturned or nullified over the past five years through appeals, data showed Sunday.

The data, released by Rep. Park Sang-woong of the main opposition People Power Party based on figures received from the National Police Agency, showed such cases totaled 354 from 2021 to 2025.

The figures raise concerns that police disciplinary actions carry little weight, given how often the outcomes are reversed through appeal proceedings.

Meanwhile, the number of appeals filed rose to 411 last year, up 34.3 percent from 2021.

In some cases, officers facing dismissal appealed and kept their jobs. In one such case, an officer dismissed over a drunk driving offense was reinstated after appeal.

The importance of the disciplinary system has grown, experts say, as a recent string of high-profile misconduct and negligence cases have concerned the people, including a missing woman incident on Jeju Island in which a police officer quietly dropped the investigation and closed the case. Another case involving a murder in Gwangju has drawn flak as the suspect's father, a police officer himself, is suspected of helping cover it up.

Rep. Park called for stronger monitoring of police misconduct cases and tighter enforcement of discipline within the police.

On the other hand, Lee Yung-hyeock, professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, suggested the frequent reversals on appeal may point to the possibility that investigations could be flawed or there was insufficient evidence against the officers involved from the outset.