Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said he would not rule out reopening an investigation into allegations that the daughter of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon padded her academic credentials, should new facts emerge. He also suggested that investigators could have made greater efforts in the case, after a parliamentary audit found that police had questioned the complainants six times while conducting only a single written inquiry with the accused party.
Kim made the remarks on the 12th during a National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit held at the police agency in Seoul's Seodaemun District, after Rep. Yoon Gun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea raised concerns about a flawed investigation and asked whether police would reinvestigate. "I believe the case was handled according to law and principle and followed proper procedure, but if new facts come to light, I will not rule out the possibility of a reinvestigation," Kim said. Asked whether he would be willing to conduct a full reinvestigation if the complainants filed a new complaint, he said police would review the matter.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's anti-corruption and public crimes investigation unit received a complaint in May 2022 over the credentials allegations involving the daughter of Han, who was then justice minister, and decided in December 2023 not to refer the case to prosecutors.
Yoon said that over roughly 20 months of investigating the allegations, police questioned the complainants six times but conducted only one written inquiry with Han's spouse, the accused party. He also said police never sought a search warrant despite allegations involving ghostwritten academic papers and copyright violations.
When Yoon asked whether it was normal for police to question only the person filing a complaint, Kim said it was not routine. Of the investigation at the time, he added, "It is difficult to speak without prejudging the matter, but I think a more active investigative effort may have been needed."
A dispute also arose over whether witnesses had been interviewed. Yoon said Woo Jong-soo, former chief of the National Office of Investigation, had told reporters that numerous witnesses were questioned, but that the records Yoon received contained no such interviews. Kim said he had not confirmed how many witnesses were actually questioned and would look into it.
Yoon alleged that the investigation amounted to a lenient and biased inquiry and called for an internal audit at the national police headquarters level. Kim said he understood the Ministry of Justice was verifying the relevant facts, adding, "Once the facts are confirmed and reported to us, we will devise follow-up measures accordingly."