Police Recruitment 'Integrated Physical Fitness Test for Men and Women' to Be Fully Implemented as Planned in 2026

Introduction of Cadet Candidates and Others in 2023 First
"Examinees Need Preparation Time"

Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Despite recommendations from the Police Agency Human Rights Committee, the ‘gender-integrated physical fitness test’ to be introduced in the police officer recruitment process is set for full implementation in 2026.

According to the police on the 9th, the National Police Commission recently amended and approved the ‘Partial Amendment to the Police Officer Appointment Decree’ at a plenary meeting. Once the amendment is officially enforced after the Cabinet meeting, the gender-integrated physical fitness test will first be introduced in 2023 for some groups such as police university students and police officer candidates, with full implementation for patrol officer recruitment and others scheduled for 2026. The police had announced the ‘Plan to Introduce Gender-Integrated Physical Fitness Test for Police’ at the end of June.

The new physical fitness test consists of five courses: ▲obstacle running ▲pole hurdle jumping ▲pushing and pulling ▲rescue ▲trigger pulling. Candidates must wear a 4.2 kg vest, which is the weight of the equipment carried during police field duties, and pass these courses in a circuit format under the same standards for both men and women to qualify.

The Police Agency Human Rights Committee evaluated this physical fitness test method as "more job-relevant than the existing event-based tests, raised above the average physical fitness standards of the general public, and neither advantageous nor disadvantageous to any specific gender, making it more appropriate than the previous physical fitness test method," but recommended its implementation in 2023 for all candidates at once. This was because even if the preparation period for examinees was short, applying the test uniformly to all candidates would not cause issues. They also requested a re-examination of the inclusion of the ‘trigger pulling’ event among the test items.

However, the Police Agency found it difficult to accept these recommendations and decided to stick to the original plan. A police official explained, "Since this is a significant change, examinees need time to prepare, and we judged that a phased implementation is necessary due to the changes," adding, "The National Police Commission had in-depth discussions and agreed on gradually implementing the test to ensure stability."

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