[EDITORIALS]A beating and a shooting

In probing an armed robbery committed by non-commissioned military officers, investigators in the prosecutors office beat to death a suspect. A man chasing a robbery suspect was fatally shot by a police officer who mistook him for an accomplice in the crime. Outrageous absurdities are taking place one after another.

When the military, prosecution and the police go astray at the same time, the people are in danger and the threat of social unrest multiplies.

The shooting by the police officer of an innocent man trying to do a good deed shows where the police department is now. Seeing a brave citizen with a sense of justice sacrificed is frustrating. We demand that the man's family members receive full compensation and an apology.

The misuse of firearms by the police happens repeatedly. The shooting death happened because the law enforcement officials did not abide by the rules of firearm use. Since the man was hit in the back, he apparently was not resisting the police officer. Despite a situation that clearly called for prudence, the police officer shot at his upper torso instead of aiming at the lower half of his body. It is not easy to properly train police officers who work at local police boxes on the firing and handling of firearms. We cannot keep making excuses, pointing to a lack of money as the reason for poorly-trained police.

The officer who shot the man made false statements, raising suspicions over his earlier insistence that the shooting was an overreaction for his personal safety. The police must verify the details of the situation, clarify where blame lies and punish whoever is found accountable. Maintaining strict discipline on duty is the most important virtue of the military, the prosecution and the police. They are the strongholds of the nation, and their mistakes, however trivial they might be, can have a big impact on people's lives. At a time when the nation is looking to the presidential election, we cannot let the nation feel uneasy because of drifting public power.