Incheon City Autonomous Police Committee Launches First in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... 'Children's Safety' as Top Priority

At the inauguration ceremony of the Incheon Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee held on the 17th at the central hall of Incheon City Hall, Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon, are cutting the ribbon. [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Incheon Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee was launched on the 17th, marking the first such establishment in the Seoul metropolitan area.

On this day, Incheon City held the inauguration ceremony for the city autonomous police committee at City Hall, attended by Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon, and Kim Byung-gu, Chief of Incheon Police Agency, officially commencing its activities.

The autonomous police committee is a deliberative administrative body under the mayor, responsible for reviewing and deciding on major policies related to autonomous police affairs such as community safety, children and youth, traffic, and local security. It also performs tasks including auditing autonomous police affairs, reviewing grievances, and coordinating with the National Police Agency on related matters.

The Incheon Autonomous Police Committee has adopted the slogan "Safe Incheon, Happy Citizens, Collaborative Autonomous Police," promoting strengthened cooperation between local administration and police administration, as well as enhancing communication and cooperation with citizens.

In particular, it plans to prioritize child safety policies by strengthening traffic safety activities within school zones (Seukuljon) and managing issues related to child abuse.

Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "The autonomous police system is a core task of the era of Local Autonomy 2.0, which will greatly improve the quality of police services through policing tailored to regional characteristics and residents' needs. Since related ordinances will be enacted in all 17 cities and provinces by the end of this month, the full implementation on July 1 will proceed without any issues."

Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon, expressed, "With the launch of the autonomous police system, local autonomy will be further expanded, and I feel both expectations and responsibilities. We will make sure to improve especially the safety in school zones and the eradication of child abuse so that all citizens can live in a happy and safe Incheon."

Meanwhile, Incheon City had previously enacted ordinances related to the autonomous police system and completed the composition of the autonomous police committee members before presenting their appointment letters on this day.

The Incheon Autonomous Police Committee consists of seven members, including Chairman Lee Byung-rok, former head of the Autonomous Police Promotion Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Won Hye-wook, professor at Inha University Law School; Kim Dong-won, professor of Public Administration at Incheon National University; Lee Deok-ho, former principal of Nonhyeon High School; Ban Byung-wook, former chief of Incheon Western Police Station; Kim Young-jung, former chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Incheon Bar Association; and Lee Chang-geun, public interest commissioner in charge of adjudication at the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission.

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