Police Officers Indicted for Leaking Wanted Information for Bribes; Prosecutors Cite Further Investigation

South Korean prosecutors have indicted two active police officers and three private investigators in a widening scandal involving the leak of sensitive wanted suspect information. The case, initially focused on a single officer accused of leaking information for personal gain, has expanded to reveal a more complex network of corruption and illegal data brokering. Prosecutors at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office announced the indictments, charging a police inspector (rank ㄱ) and a police sergeant (rank ㄴ) with crimes including bribery and leaking official secrets. Three private investigators (ranks ㄷ, ㄹ, and ㅁ) were also charged with offenses related to bribery, brokering illicit deals, and violating personal information protection laws. The investigation gained momentum when prosecutors discovered that the initial leak by Inspector ㄱ was not an isolated incident but involved a monetary exchange. Despite the police handing over Inspector ㄱ's phone after seizing it, they reportedly failed to conduct a thorough forensic analysis or examine bank records, prompting prosecutors to conduct a supplementary investigation. Through this deeper probe, prosecutors uncovered that a wanted suspect paid 15 million won (approximately $11,000) to Investigator ㄹ to confirm their wanted status. Investigator ㄹ then allegedly used an illicit Telegram channel to re-route the request to Investigator ㄷ, who is accused of paying Inspector ㄱ 1 million won for the information. This data was subsequently leaked to the original suspect. Further investigation revealed another instance where a wanted suspect paid Investigator ㄹ 2 million won for information, who then allegedly paid Sergeant ㄴ 700,000 won. Sergeant ㄴ, it was discovered, operated a private detective agency while still an active police officer and illegally sold personal information of 11 individuals for fees ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 won per person. Investigator ㄹ reportedly created a "price list" for different types of personal information, which he then sold.

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This case was initially going to be closed as an accidental leak of official secrets by a police officer to an acquaintance, but prosecutors actively conducted a supplementary investigation to uncover the bribery charges and reveal the collusion between some police officers and private investigators, indicting the related individuals for offenses including bribery, offering bribes, and violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.