Police Joint Appointment Ceremony, Postponed Due to COVID-19?

Police's Largest Event with Over 2,000 Attendees
Provisional Date Set for March 12, but Confirmation Delayed Due to COVID Concerns
National Police Agency: "Decision Pending Based on Situation"

The photo is from the 2018 Joint Appointment Ceremony for Police University Students and Officer Candidates.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] There is a possibility that the 'Joint Appointment Ceremony for Police University Students and Officer Candidates' scheduled for next month may be postponed. This is due to concerns that the largest police event, which gathers over 2,800 people, could potentially contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) within local communities.

According to the National Police Agency on the 21st, this year's joint appointment ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 12 at the Korean National Police University in Asan, Chungnam Province. The joint appointment ceremony is considered one of the largest annual events in the police force, alongside the Police Day ceremony in October. Typically, about 2,000 people, including the President, police leadership, families and relatives of the appointees, and the general public, attend to celebrate the graduates of the Police University and officer candidates being appointed as lieutenants and starting their careers.

Along with the joint appointment ceremony, an 'Admission Information Session' is held, inviting about 800 middle and high school students who wish to enter the Police University. The invited students tour the school facilities and have the opportunity to directly ask Police University officials about necessary requirements or any questions they have regarding admission. These students are also expected to observe the joint appointment ceremony held on the same day.

However, with the spread of COVID-19 infections in local communities, it is uncertain whether the event will proceed as planned. The police have kept the scheduled date for the joint appointment ceremony 'tentative' and have not finalized it. Since thousands of people gather from all over the country, there is concern that the current COVID-19 outbreak in specific regions could lead to nationwide spread. A National Police Agency official stated, "Nothing has been concretely decided regarding postponement of the event," but added, "Although the schedule is tentatively set, we will monitor the situation and make a decision accordingly."

In fact, many general universities have canceled graduation and entrance ceremonies consecutively, and delayed the start of the semester by up to two weeks. Recently, Gyeongnam Province reduced the joint appointment ceremony for new firefighters, which was usually held at the provincial government office, by having it conducted separately at each assigned fire station due to COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.