The chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that collusion between police and nightclubs was “unforgivable,” and vowed thorough investigation of the allegations surrounding the Burning Sun scandal.

“I’ve ordered the investigators to collect the evidence (of links between nightclubs and police officers),” Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Won Kyung-hwan said, promising the agency would severely punish any police officer found to have colluded with clubs, no matter how many people were involved.

Won also said the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency would investigate a November 2017 incident at the Arena, a club in Gangnam.

According to a man in his 20s surnamed Park, the club’s security guard attacked him and injured the area around his eye.

Park said police had been passive about investigating the alleged assault and that officers had not even entered the club when Park reported the incident.

Meanwhile, Won said his agency’s probe of the club Burning Sun was yielding results and that separate investigations were underway into alleged drug dealing and alleged collusion between police officers and the club.

“The police have been tracking drug distribution at Burning Sun, but it’s too early to say that drugs were distributed systematically,” Won said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has booked 10 Burning Sun employees and customers on suspicion of using or dealing drugs, amid allegations that a date-rape drug was frequently used at the club.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)