Police Take First Step in 'Anti-Corruption Council'... Speeding Up Follow-Up Measures

Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency and Honorary Professor Kim Byung-seop Co-Chairs
"At a Time When Police Authority Is Expanding... Consensus on the Need for an Anti-Corruption Council"
From Late November, Reporting of Police Officers' Private Contacts to Be Expanded
Inquiries About Incidents Among Staff Also Principally Prohibited

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police approaches, efforts to establish anti-corruption measures within the police are gaining momentum.

According to the National Police Agency on the 2nd, the first meeting of the Police Anti-Corruption Council was held yesterday afternoon. The council is chaired jointly by Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and Kim Byung-seop, Honorary Professor at Seoul National University, and consists of a total of 15 members: five from within the police and ten from academia, media, and civic groups. The council will be responsible for overall management of police anti-corruption policies, including ▲ deliberation and resolution of the mid- to long-term basic anti-corruption plan for the police ▲ inspection of anti-corruption policy implementation by function ▲ recommendation of measures to prevent recurrence in case of major corruption incidents.

At the first meeting, the members reportedly received a briefing on the comprehensive anti-corruption measures announced by the National Police Agency last October and discussed the future direction of the council’s operations. A National Police Agency official explained, "There was consensus on the need to form a consultative body involving civil society in the anti-corruption area at a time when police authority will increase due to investigative authority adjustments starting next year," adding, "We plan to hold another meeting early next year at the earliest and begin a full-scale policy review."

Since the end of last month, the expansion of the prohibition on private contact among police officers and the ban on inquiries about cases between staff have been fully implemented. The private contact ban, which was introduced in July last year, mandates prior and post-reporting when contacting retired police officers working at companies with potential collusion risks, such as illegal businesses or multi-level marketing firms. This time, police officers who have re-employed in the legal sector within three years after retirement have been added to the reporting targets. Accordingly, any face-to-face contact or non-face-to-face (untact) contact such as phone calls, emails, or text messages with police-origin lawyers, law firm managers, or law firm personnel must be reported.

In case of violation, the officer will, in principle, be excluded from related duties and restricted from assignment to investigation and enforcement departments. Furthermore, if it is confirmed that the contact went beyond simple interaction to case solicitation, the officer will face job-related accusations and severe disciplinary action. Particularly, if a senior officer at the rank of Senior Superintendent or above violates the rules, personnel measures will be taken first, followed by disciplinary discussions, and practical disadvantages such as restrictions on command appointments will be imposed.

Inquiries about cases between staff are also prohibited in principle. If someone asks to look into a case, the regulation requires guiding them to inquire directly with the responsible department. However, exceptions allow minimal inquiries if the police officer is personally involved in the case or if it is necessary for official duties such as investigative cooperation or sharing arrest techniques.

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