Controversy in South Korea as Coast Guard Officer Caught Gambling Receives ‘Promotion’

Controversy has erupted in South Korea after a senior coast guard officer who visited an illegal gambling den received what some labeled a “promotion.”

The unnamed officer was serving as a substation chief in the Gunsan Coast Guard when he was caught gambling in an illegal betting den in August last year, the South Korean media outlet MBN reported.

Detectives investigating the gambling den arrested the officer during a raid. The officer denied wrongdoing during a court hearing, telling a panel of judges: “I didn’t know I was in a gambling den.”

The court did not accept his explanation, finding him guilty of illegal gambling. However, unnamed critics said his punishment amounted to “a mere slap on the wrist.”

Controversy in South Korea: Gambler ‘Promoted’

The panel of judges ordered the officer to pay a 1 million won ($664) fine, the minimum required punishment for the offence.

The Coast Guard refused to suspend the officer from his position until the court had delivered its verdict.

Shortly after, during a routine personnel reshuffle, Gunsan authorities assigned the same officer to the post of section chief in the intelligence department of a police station.

Posters on Gunsan online forums expressed dismay. They said it was unfair that a public official had been handed a senior criminal intelligence post so soon after facing a gambling charge.

Some claimed that he had essentially been “promoted.”

A Gunsan Coast Guard station spokesperson said: “[The officer] previously worked at a police substation for many years. He is well-versed in local intelligence. So we initially judged him to be the right person for the job.”

But after a slew of posts criticizing the appointment appeared on anonymous bulletin boards, Gunsan officials decided to act.

The spokesperson said the authorities have reversed the so-called promotion. Gunsan has transferred the officer to a less senior post in another department, the spokesperson explained.

The media outlet said the officer in question refused to comment on the matter.

Crackdown Continues

Police in South Korea have been cracking down on illegal betting dens this year. Earlier this month, officers in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, found themselves in a standoff with a man in his 60s following a gambling row.

The man reportedly got into a heated argument with several acquaintances during an illicit betting session in the city’s Punggi neighborhood.

Enraged, he chased after them with an unloaded air pistol, which he discharged in their direction.

After panic ensued, he escaped home, with police chasing after him. When they arrived, he turned the weapon on himself.

He escaped with a serious injury, a hospital later confirmed.