Reasons Behind the Police Agency's Failure to Rename the 'Security Terror Response Bureau'

Change Proposed from Former 'Gyeongbiguk'
Some Members of National Police Commission Oppose
"Discomfort with the Word 'Terror' in the Name"

Police Agency building. [Photo by Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been confirmed that the National Police Agency attempted to include the term ‘terror’ when renaming the Security Bureau responsible for counter-terrorism operations, but the effort was ultimately abandoned.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 30th, the National Police Agency submitted a proposal titled “Partial Amendment to the Organization Regulations of the National Police Agency and Its Affiliated Institutions,” which included changing the name of the headquarters’ Security Bureau to the “Security and Terror Response Bureau,” at the full meeting of the National Police Commission on the 17th. However, after discussion, the proposal was postponed. It is known that some commissioners, including former National Police Commissioner Park Jeong-hoon who chaired the meeting, opposed the name change. A National Police Agency official stated, “Opposition arose because including ‘terror’ in the organization’s name could create a sense of discomfort.”

The National Police Agency has been internally discussing the name change of the Security Bureau since November of last year. The police have already been conducting counter-terrorism operations, and the current Presidential Decree explicitly states that one of the duties of the National Police Agency’s Security Bureau is the “establishment and guidance of counter-terrorism prevention and suppression measures.” However, the Counter-Terrorism Division under the Security Bureau currently operates as a temporary organization.

Accordingly, the police have been pushing to formalize the Counter-Terrorism Division as an official unit and clarify its duties by changing the name of the Security Bureau. This effort also reflects expectations to strengthen the police’s counter-terrorism capabilities, which require international cooperation, and to explicitly affirm that the police will be responsible for counter-terrorism operations amid ongoing reforms of the National Intelligence Service, including the transfer of counterintelligence investigation authority.

Since the National Police Commission postponed the change, it is unlikely to be addressed again in the near future. There is also a variable factor: on the 26th, lawyer Kim Ho-cheol was elected as the new National Police Commissioner, which could lead to a different decision by the commission going forward. A National Police Agency official explained, “We have been discussing the name change for a long time, so it is regrettable that it was postponed,” but added, “We will continue related discussions.” The police also plan to continuously enhance their counter-terrorism capabilities, as domestic awareness of terrorism has been heightened again following the recent Afghanistan crisis.

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