'One Roof, Three Families' Autonomous Police Introduction Police Act Amendment Passed in National Assembly Plenary Session (Comprehensive)

National Police, Autonomous Police, and National Investigation Headquarters
Work at One Agency According to the 'Unified Model'

Police Collection Limited to Public Safety Information
Police Officer Duty Execution Act Also Passed
"Half-Baked Police Reform" Criticism Arises

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] For the first time in the 100-year history of the Korean police, a ‘Jachi Police’ (autonomous police) system will be introduced, and a National Investigation Headquarters overseeing police investigations will be established.

On the 9th, the National Assembly passed the full revision of the Police Act containing these provisions in a plenary session with 175 votes in favor, 55 against, and 36 abstentions out of 266 members present.

The Jachi Police system has been promoted with the intention of decentralizing the expanding police powers due to the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, and the transfer of counterintelligence investigation authority from the National Intelligence Service to the police. The core of the full revision of the Police Act is to separate the duties of the National Police and the Jachi Police and to establish a separate National Investigation Headquarters (Guksubon) to oversee investigations.

According to this revision, the police organization will be divided into the National Police under the command of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, the Jachi Police under the management of the city/provincial Jachi Police Committees affiliated with the mayors and governors, and the investigative police under the command and supervision of the head of the National Investigation Headquarters. However, since the ‘unified model’ using the same building but sharing duties has been finalized, it is expected that there will be no significant changes felt by the public.

The duties of the Jachi Police include community safety, traffic, security closely related to residents’ daily lives, as well as investigations of school violence and domestic violence. The National Police will be responsible for tasks such as intelligence, security, and foreign affairs. The most controversial duty of protection measures for homeless people, intoxicated persons, and vagrants within the region was ultimately excluded.

Investigations will be handled by the newly established Guksubon. The Guksubon is an organization under the National Police Agency, and its head will be a Police Commissioner General. The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency is, in principle, prohibited from giving specific instructions regarding investigations.

Additionally, the National Assembly also passed a partial amendment to the Police Officer Duty Execution Act, clearly defining the security information collected by the police as ‘information related to the prevention and response to risks to public safety.’

Although the passage of this revised law has laid the foundation for the introduction of the Jachi Police, there are criticisms that it falls short of the original intent of police reform. Justice Party lawmaker Lee Eun-ju pointed out during the plenary debate that it is a “half-baked Jachi Police that only separates police duties” and warned that “the rebirth of a dinosaur organization with overwhelming power is imminent.”

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