Former National Assembly member Pyo Chang-won, who is a former police officer, criticized police officers suspected of involvement in the state of emergency.
On the 6th, Pyo Chang-won posted on social media, “The dying spirit of the Police Academy, the spirit of the 5th class.”
Pyo Chang-won said, “During the rehearsal for the graduation ceremony of the Police Academy attended by President Chun Doo-hwan in 1987, the dean read a meal and said, ‘The police academy students are blessed by the grace of the President and his wife…’ It was unbelievable. Our 5th class, who were in their third year, declared a ‘graduation ceremony boycott’ and began a sit-in protest on the rooftop of the dormitory.”
He added, “It was a time when the terrifying Chun Doo-hwan ruled, and torturing police officers like Lee Geun-an were in power, with bodyguards holding sniper rifles watching us closely. We risked our lives. Police executives and seniors tried to dissuade us, used divide-and-conquer tactics, and tempted us… But we held on, and eventually, the dean promised to change the speech content, and we ended our protest.”
He continued, “At the graduation ceremony, if the dean broke his promise, we resolved to march straight out the front gate and collectively resign. When we heard the part that had been paused, and the dean changed the phrase to ‘the grace like that of the people…’, tears flowed.”
Pyo Chang-won emphasized, “Currently, the police chief is from the 6th class of the Police Academy, the Seoul chief is from the 5th class, and the previous chief was from the 7th class. All were present at that time. The reason for the existence of the Police Academy, which has always been plagued by allegations of privilege and favoritism, was this ‘spirit of the Police Academy.’ It is to serve only the nation and the people, to uphold the Constitution and laws, and to sacrifice justly without yielding to any pressure or temptation.”
He added, “However, as they go through the temptations and competition for promotion, that spirit seems to have faded and been forgotten. Among the police chiefs from the Police Academy, there has been no one who has shown that spirit, pride, courage, or sense of justice. Only those who are good at loyalty and flattery to power have been visible. It is a shameful and tragic confession that a chief who has ultimately become an accomplice to insurrection publicly stated in the National Assembly, ‘I do not know the Constitution’…”
Pyo Chang-won also stated, “To the juniors and current students who came believing in the values of justice, honor, and the spirit of the Police Academy, I bow my head and deeply apologize as a senior. I also apologize to my fellow police officers who have quietly and diligently fulfilled their duties under difficult conditions as a member of the Police Academy. I deeply apologize to the citizens who had expectations and hopes for the Police Academy.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
