‘Burning Sun police chief’ Yoon Gyu-geun retires one year before mandatory retirement

Yoon Gyu-geun, the senior police officer dubbed the “police chief” in a group chat linked to singer Seungri, has retired with about a year left before reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Yoon, who had led Team 1 at the 112 General Situation Room of the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, left office on May 31. Police sources said he retired at his own request.

He became a central figure in allegations of collusion between police and entertainment venues during the 2019 Burning Sun scandal. In the group chat involving Seungri and others, he was referred to as the “police chief.”

Yoon was also prosecuted over allegations that he received undisclosed information from a former chief executive of KOSDAQ-listed company Cubes in 2017 and traded shares. In 2021, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that found him guilty of some of the charges and imposed a fine of 20 million won. The National Police Agency disciplinary committee later suspended him for three months, a punishment classified as a serious disciplinary measure. Under the State Public Officials Act, an official automatically leaves office after receiving a prison sentence or more severe punishment, but that provision did not apply in his case.