South Korea’s top court ruled Tuesday against a police officer who sought to regain his position after he was fired over links to a prostitution business. 

The Supreme Court struck down the lower court ruling, saying that firing the former police officer surnamed Jang is valid.

Jang had lodged the suit against the Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to get his job back. He was fired in December 2011.

The court said Jang stayed in touch with the owner of the prostitution business, asked a fellow officer to give him illicit favors in a drunken driving case and leaked personal information related to an investigation.

Jang’s violations were “not so light,” the court said, adding that his actions caused the public to lose confidence in the police.

Jang, who was hired as a police officer in 2005, worked at the traffic safety department of a police station in Seoul from February 2009 to October 2011. Jang kept in touch with the owner of the prostitution business even after orders to cut off contact with him.

The lower courts had ruled in favor of Jang, citing that he did not receive monetary compensation for his actions. The top court also said that the lower court verdicts came from the misinterpretation of legal principles.

By Suh Ye-seul (sys@heraldcorp.com)