Chungnam, the Nation's 'First' Autonomous Police System Stumbles

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The official launch of the autonomous police system in Chungnam Province has been postponed indefinitely. Although it was the first in the nation to complete the formation of the Autonomous Police Committee and boldly announced the launch ceremony schedule, the ceremony itself was delayed due to a disturbance caused by the inaugural chairman of the Chungnam Autonomous Police Committee at a police substation, causing the province to lose face.

According to the province on the 5th, the Chungnam Autonomous Police Committee indefinitely postponed the launch ceremony of the Chungnam autonomous police system, which was originally scheduled for that day. The postponement was a final decision made after the province and the committee held a meeting, keeping in mind that A (72), who was appointed as the inaugural chairman, recently caused a disturbance at the Cheongsu Police Substation in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, and was subject to a police investigation.

On the 2nd, while discussing opinions about the autonomous police system with a police officer working at the Cheongsu Police Substation, A raised his voice and reportedly threw a paper cup filled with water while verbally abusing the officer.

The police officers present at the substation at the time judged that A’s actions could obstruct official duties and reported the related incident to their superiors.

In particular, on the day of the disturbance, A initially did not reveal his identity but later disclosed his position as chairman of the Chungnam Autonomous Police Committee during the escalation of his raised voice.

However, A completely denies the police’s claims, stating that he visited the substation to hear voices from the field before the autonomous police system was fully implemented, and although he raised his voice out of anger at the police officer’s unfriendly attitude, he did not engage in acts such as throwing a paper cup filled with water.

Accordingly, the Dongnam Police Station in Cheonan is currently reviewing CCTV footage installed inside the Cheongsu Police Substation to ascertain the facts. They are also expected to investigate the circumstances by questioning the police officers present at the scene and A.

The problem is that the launch of the province’s autonomous police committee was delayed due to this incident, which could be seen as an individual’s deviation.

Previously, the province had prepared an office on the second floor of the annex building of the provincial government office and organized the committee secretariat with a staff of 35 (including 13 dispatched from the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency) across 2 divisions and 6 teams. After a pilot operation starting on the 31st of last month, they planned to officially launch the committee on the 5th of this month.

In particular, the province emphasized that it was the first in the nation to complete institutional arrangements as the “Ordinance on Chungnam Autonomous Police Affairs and the Organization and Operation of the Autonomous Police Committee” and the “Ordinance on the Administrative Organization and Staffing of Chungcheongnam-do” passed the provincial council plenary session on the 3rd.

However, with the inaugural chairman embroiled in an unfortunate incident, the significance of the nationwide first committee launch initially promoted has also faded.

Nonetheless, the province plans to continuously operate the autonomous police committee and prepare for the full implementation of the autonomous police system on July 1. They also stated their intention to reschedule the launch ceremony in line with the internal situation, including A’s status, being resolved.

A provincial official said, “We regret the unexpected controversy that arose just before the launch ceremony,” adding, “The committee launch schedule has not yet been finalized, and until the full implementation of the autonomous police system in July, we will focus on addressing any shortcomings first.”

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