Eight high-ranking police officers at the rank of Senior Superintendent General or above are among those facing disciplinary action for their alleged involvement in the December 3 martial law incident, according to the National Police Agency's Constitutional Respect and Government Innovation Task Force.
According to data provided by the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Ministry of Personnel Management to the office of Rep. Park Jung-hyun of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, the task force has referred a total of 21 police officers for disciplinary review. Of these, eight are senior officers at the rank of Senior Superintendent General or above, while 13 hold the rank of Superintendent General or below.
The task force had previously announced disciplinary requests for 22 officers, including 19 at the Superintendent General rank or above and three Senior Superintendents. One officer was excluded from the Central Disciplinary Committee's review after reaching mandatory retirement age last year.
Among the officers referred to the committee, those facing severe disciplinary measures have been relieved of their duties, while those facing lighter penalties have been placed on standby.
As a result, four provincial police agencies—North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, and Busan—as well as three police stations in Namdong (Incheon), Dongbu (Daegu), and Inje (Gangwon) currently have vacant command positions.
The cases have not yet been formally presented to the disciplinary committee. Regulations require the committee to reach a decision within 120 days of receiving a disciplinary request. Officers may appeal any resulting disciplinary action through administrative review or litigation.