South Korean Police Officer Warned After Public Park Bench Display

A male police lieutenant (A) was identified as the lone individual seen engaging in overt affection with a partner on a park bench in Hansol‑dong, Sejong City. A citizen reported the scene to emergency services, prompting police to respond; the woman had already left, and the officer was given a verbal admonition. Subsequent checks revealed that A was an active police officer, leading internal investigators to discipline him for “loss of dignity” rather than charging him with public indecency. The officer received a non‑disciplinary warning and an administrative personnel adjustment.

Separately, the Daejeon police are probing allegations that staff collected and delivered a cash “transfer fee” of 700,000‑800,000 won to a senior officer during a recent reassignment, an alleged practice known as “jeonbyeol‑geum.” The inquiry focuses on whether the senior officer directed the collection.