Rapid Response with 'Code 1' for Child Abuse 112 Reports... Comprehensive Damage Investigation Also Promoted

Police Chief "Apologizes to the People"

Commissioner Min Gap-ryong of the National Police Agency. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Recently, with a series of child abuse cases occurring in Cheonan City, Chungnam Province, and Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam Province, causing great public outrage, the police have decided to activate 'Code 1' for urgent handling of 'child abuse' cases reported via 112 emergency calls. They are also considering dispatching child protection experts together with police officers to the scene.

On the morning of the 15th, at a press briefing held at the police headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Police Commissioner Min Gap-ryong apologized, stating, "It is regrettable to the public that there are still cases where children grow up in abuse that they cannot express in words, and as the police who should have prevented and stopped this, we cannot help but feel sorry."

Regarding measures against child abuse, Commissioner Min emphasized, "In responding to 112 calls for incidents, we have upgraded the response level from the previous 'Code 3' or higher to 'Code 1' or higher, ensuring urgent dispatch and response." Code 1 is an emergency dispatch code issued when rapid protection of life, body, or property from crime is necessary, indicating the highest priority for dispatch.

Additionally, the police are consulting with related agencies to establish a system where experts from child protection agencies accompany officers to the scene to immediately assess whether abuse has occurred. They are also creating a manual to investigate child abuse simultaneously when investigating domestic violence cases involving children in the household.

Commissioner Min stated, "We will consult with relevant ministries to enable joint dispatch and comprehensive investigations of domestic violence victims as soon as possible, and the police will take the lead in implementing these measures. We are currently conducting a full investigation into high-risk child abuse cases in Hadong, and we will do our utmost to identify and strictly protect the abused children," he emphasized.

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