Male officer accused of sexual harassment toward female trainee denies remark, says he said 'do your best'

A senior male police officer at a substation in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, is facing allegations that he made a sexually harassing remark to a female trainee officer.

According to police, on Oct. 2 a male officer in his 20s, identified as A, called the substation from a scene under the jurisdiction of Pohang Northern Police Station and allegedly asked a female trainee officer in her 20s, identified as B, "Do you want to sleep with me?" The two were responding to a report involving an elderly person with dementia at the time.

A was appointed to the force about a year before B, making him her senior.

B alleged that A made the sexually harassing remark, but A denied the allegations, saying he had only told her to "do your best" in reference to the shift handover.

The call lasted about 11 seconds, and no recording exists. A fellow officer who was at the scene with A confirmed he did not directly hear the contents of the call.

Allegations have also emerged that A had engaged in gapjil, or workplace power abuse, toward B on a regular basis. Police, however, said they view the situation as a conflict that arose during on-the-job guidance.

"The two parties' accounts conflict and there is no call recording, making it difficult to conclude that sexual harassment occurred," a police official said. "Since neither party wanted the matter made public, the substation chief used his authority to adjust their shift assignments."

The official added that the incident appeared to stem from a misunderstanding during the senior officer's efforts to help the junior officer learn her duties quickly, and that measures have been taken to ensure the two are no longer assigned to the same shift.