The National Police Agency has suspended the duty of the head of a police precinct in Seoul after a North Korean man under its jurisdiction and suspected of sexual crimes successfully escaped to the North undetected.  

The agency said on Friday the Gimpo police chief has been ordered to standby for assignment, adding he will face corresponding discipline for the unfavorable outcome of what was a probe into 24-year-old Kim. 

Kim had been under investigation for allegedly raping a North Korean woman in his apartment prior to his escape. Acquaintances of Kim had alerted Gimpo Police of his intention to kill himself or re-defect, calls that reportedly went unaddressed. 

Gimpo Police Station is known to have been unaware of Kim's escape until at least a day after he had successfully crossed into the North through the heavily-fortified inter-Korean border on July 18. 

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo earlier admitted that he did not know of the double defection until the North Korean media reported it on Sunday, raising suspicion police either were not aware of it or failed to properly share related information with other agencies.