Ruling Party Lawmakers of the National Assembly's Public Administration Committee Meet with Police Commissioner... Urge Measures to Address 'Inadequate Response'

Seo Young-kyo, Chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee (third from the left), and other committee members from the Democratic Party of Korea visited the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 23rd for a meeting with Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Amid controversies over the police's inadequate response in incidents such as the Incheon inter-floor noise stabbing and the murder of a woman under protective custody in Jung-gu, Seoul, ruling party lawmakers from the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee met with Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong on the 23rd, urging thorough countermeasures.

Seo Young-kyo, chair of the Public Administration and Security Committee, who visited the National Police Agency that morning, told reporters, "The police should have protected the people and ensured their safety, but instead, the public suffered significant harm," adding, "We came to hold them accountable and to develop future measures."

Seo also stated, "Regarding dating violence, there were requests for protective custody and the use of smartwatches, and although responses were made, it ultimately resulted in death. We urge the police to take more prompt action and intend to raise the issue in the National Assembly to jointly seek solutions."

Lawmaker Yang Ki-dae said, "This is a heartbreaking incident from the people's perspective," pointing out, "For example, everyone knows that soldiers should not flee during combat on the battlefield, nor should firefighters run away from a fire scene." He added, "Such behavior has led to a collapse of trust in the police and increased public anxiety. Going forward, such incidents must never recur, and rather than simple stopgap measures, a systemic change and extraordinary measures are needed to restore overall trust in the police."

After the meeting, Chair Seo said, "We received focused reports and discussions on the two incidents: the Incheon inter-floor noise stabbing and the murder of a woman under protective custody in Jung-gu, Seoul," emphasizing, "These are unacceptable and must be thoroughly addressed with proper countermeasures." She continued, "Considering the COVID-19 situation, there were shortcomings in practical training and drills to protect the public, and we also discussed the need to secure budget for equipment to safeguard citizens."

Additionally, lawmaker Oh Young-hwan, a former firefighter, said, "The inter-floor noise incident was a complete escape," urging "a corresponding decisive action from the police organization." Police officer-turned-lawmaker Lim Ho-seon pointed out, "The inadequate response to the inter-floor noise incident revealed multiple problems. Necessary education and training were completely lacking," and criticized, "There is not even a 112 call statistics system or code related to inter-floor noise, which is a failure of the police."

Commissioner Kim presided over an emergency nationwide police leadership video conference the day before and bowed his head, saying, "Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the police's most important mission and calling, but we failed to protect citizens in danger in this incident. I offer my deepest apologies to the victims, their families, and the public."

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