Police Chief: "Hope to Pass Police Reform Bill in 20th National Assembly"... Hwang Unha's Resignation Acceptance May Take Time

National Police Chief Min Gap-ryong is attending a video conference related to the launch of the Special Investigation Headquarters for Digital Sex Crimes held at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 25th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the 21st general election has concluded, Police Commissioner Min Gap-ryong has requested the National Assembly to promptly process the currently pending 'police reform' bills.

At a press conference on the 20th, Commissioner Min stated, "Bills regarding the autonomous police system, government police reform, and controlling undue interference in investigations by general police are awaiting review in the National Assembly," adding, "I hope police reform can be institutionally completed."

There are a total of nine police-affiliated elected members entering the 21st National Assembly, one more than in the 20th Assembly. However, bills proposed in the 20th Assembly are automatically discarded when the 21st Assembly convenes. In such cases, all currently proposed police reform bills must be processed again from the beginning. Commissioner Min expressed, "I hope the process can be expedited and completed during the 20th Assembly."

Commissioner Min also announced plans to prioritize reforms that the police can implement internally. He said, "We will ensure democratic control of the police internally, actualize the Police Commission, operate the on-site human rights counseling center in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission, expand citizen auditors and the Police Case Review Committee, and establish a workplace council guaranteeing democratic internal police operations by June," emphasizing, "We will prepare and implement these measures promptly and without delay."

Regarding the decision on whether to accept the resignation of former Police Human Resources Development Institute Director Hwang Un-ha, who was elected while having submitted his resignation, more time is expected to be needed. Hwang was indicted by the prosecution over allegations of interference in the Ulsan mayoral election.

Commissioner Min explained, "According to the Constitution and National Assembly Act, holding dual positions is prohibited, but under presidential directives related to civil servant misconduct cases, dismissal is not allowed while prosecution is ongoing," adding, "There are conflicting issues, so we are consulting with institutions such as the National Assembly Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel Management and reviewing the matter based on their opinions." He further stated, "We will carefully review the legal aspects and make a lawful and reasonable decision."

Meanwhile, regarding this general election, the police cracked down on 1,461 election-related offenders and referred 64 for prosecution. Among them, 12 were detained, and investigations are ongoing for about 1,200 others.

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