Police Reform Network: "The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee Must Withdraw the Decision to Hold a Closed Hearing on the 'Police Act Amendment'"

On September 22, at the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, participants urged opposition to the government's police reform bill during the press conference evaluating Assemblyman Kim Young-bae's Police Act amendment proposal. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Civic groups have issued a statement criticizing the National Assembly's decision to hold a closed-door public hearing on the police reform bill scheduled for the 16th of this month.

The Police Reform Network, consisting of organizations such as People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), strongly condemned the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee (PAS Committee) on the 13th, stating that "the PAS Committee's decision to hold a closed-door public hearing is secrecy that goes against common sense and principles."

They pointed out that the PAS Committee announced the 'Public Hearing on the Complete Revision Bill of the Police Act and the Complete Revision Bill of the Police Officers Act' scheduled for the 16th would be held behind closed doors, adding, "In the National Assembly, a 'complete revision bill' that brings about a comprehensive change in our society's police system, including the introduction of the autonomous police system, is being discussed, but the reform is being rushed without proper opinion gathering under the guise of reform."

They continued, "The closed-door public hearing is merely a way to evade criticism that there is insufficient social discussion. It must be withdrawn immediately," adding, "Since public hearings are supposed to be open, we cannot help but ask why this hearing must be closed."

They criticized, "In fact, the 'Complete Revision Bill of the Police Act' proposed by Assemblyman Kim Young-bae as a government bill is insufficient in terms of controlling and decentralizing police authority from any perspective," and added, "It does not comply with principles, and the content is also poor; just because it is processed quickly does not mean it is reform." They repeatedly urged, "Citizens and reporters should be allowed to attend the public hearing, and it should be transparently disclosed to the public through broadcasting or online platforms."

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