'Public Security Hallyu' Breaks Through COVID-19 to Europe, Latin America, and Africa

Police Agency Identifies 12 Next ODA Projects
Comprehensive Coverage from Cyber Investigations to Traffic
Effective International Cooperation and Protection of Overseas Nationals

Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency held a security chief meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan on June 17.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Despite the difficulties in overseas exchanges due to COVID-19, efforts to spread the "Chian Hallyu" continue. The police plan to expand the scope of projects not only to countries and regions targeted by security support projects but also beyond.

According to the National Police Agency on the 23rd, the police have discovered and selected 12 new public security official development assistance (ODA) projects for next year and are discussing them with related organizations. First, 10 projects independently promoted by the police have passed through the Office for Government Policy Coordination and are currently under review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. For the two projects planned to be promoted in cooperation with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), one-on-one consultations are underway with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The independent projects will be fully implemented from next year after final approval through the National Assembly budget review, and the KOICA cooperative projects will be actively promoted from 2023.

This year, despite COVID-19, the police have carried out projects to support public security in developing countries. Using non-face-to-face methods, they transferred Korean police security techniques such as emergency call response and cyber investigation methods to 277 police officers from eight countries worldwide. Earlier in June, Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong personally visited Uzbekistan, held talks with the local police chief, and promised comprehensive cooperation.

To spread the "Chian Hallyu," the police plan to significantly expand ODA projects next year. The target regions will be extended to Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand), Central Asia (Mongolia, Uzbekistan), Eastern Europe (Ukraine), Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan), and South America (Colombia). The project fields will also diversify to include scientific investigation, cyber investigation, traffic, narcotics, and emergency call 112 services. Among these, a notable project is supporting the establishment of a simulation-based police training facility in Uzbekistan. Since Korean police security techniques in shooting, investigation, and initial response will be fully transferred, it is expected to have a significant impact.

Security cooperation projects are important not only in terms of strengthening Korea's diplomatic capabilities but also in enhancing international cooperation against terrorism and protecting overseas nationals. They also have great economic value by opening export opportunities for domestic security technology companies. The police are planning to take a step further by establishing the "Korea-ASEAN Security Capacity Enhancement Center (tentative name)" at the Korean National Police University to serve as a hub for Chian Hallyu. A National Police Agency official said, "Security cooperation is being raised as an important agenda at intergovernmental summits. We believe that security policy is equivalent to diplomatic capability and will continue to strengthen global security cooperation."

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