Posted on : Dec.28,2005 09:25 KST Modified on : Dec.28,2005 09:25 KST

National Police Agency commissioner Huh Joon Young continues to act like a coward. He has apologized for the deaths of Jeon Yong Cheol and Hong Deok Pyo but still refuses to resign. In other words, he wants to censure people under him like the Seoul police chief while remaining unscathed himself. Civic groups have it right when they say, "the man who should have been punished is doing the punishing."

There are many reasons why Huh should resign.

Unfortunate events have always occurred in the course of putting down street protests, but never have two people died at the same time. During the dictatorship years anything this serious would have led to the resignation of the both police commissioner and the responsible cabinet minister. How will subordinates trust a cowardly leader who accepts all the credit for things but hands responsibility down the chain of command.


Also, the strange way Huh handles his job makes you wonder if he is qualified to be national police commissioner. When Jeon Yong Cheol died, Huh said the cause "might be a hardening of the liver or too much alcohol," and then that he sustained his injury by "falling down." The right kind of commissioner would have gotten to work trying to clarify what the actual cause of death was, and he would have hurried to make improvements in the way the police deal with protests. First he tried to minimize police responsibility, and it was only after the National Human Rights Commission announced its findings that he hurriedly made that apology, showing you how he never took the issue seriously.

Finally, the apology he issued lacks evidence of a true sense of responsibility. He said he needs to "work harder to see to it that there is a culture of peaceful protest," showing you that he still does not see the situation for what it really is. One cannot expect the police to be reborn with Huh trying to avoid responsibility with such vague language. We again call for his resignation.

The Hankyoreh, 28 December 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]

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