Police Chief: "Efforts to Approve Amendment to Police Officer Duty Execution Act... Minimizing Concerns of Human Rights Violations"

Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency. / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Regarding the amendment to the 'Police Officer Duty Execution Act,' which reduces criminal liability for damages occurring during the lawful execution of police duties, currently pending in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong stated, "I believe both ruling and opposition parties recognize the necessity of its introduction," and added, "I will make every effort to ensure its approval."

At a regular press briefing on the 13th, Commissioner Kim said, "There are clearly legal and institutional factors that make it difficult for on-site police officers to carry out active and bold law enforcement," and added, "If measures to prevent human rights violations are discussed in the next session, I think it can be sufficiently approved."

Regarding concerns expressed by some civil society groups about police abuse of power, he emphasized, "The monitoring and control of public authority in our country is at a world-class level," and stated, "There is the National Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and police law enforcement is always conducted under the watchful eyes of the public, like actors on a stage." He further added, "Now, there are increasing cases where police authority is not properly exercised immediately on-site, failing to adequately protect the public or causing greater harm, which leads to public criticism and reproach," and said, "It is necessary to have deep reflection and social consensus on where to focus in exercising police authority."

Additionally, Commissioner Kim responded to the recent consecutive COVID-19 infections among on-site police officers, saying, "We have been thoroughly prepared, but recently, especially in Seoul, the number of confirmed cases has increased significantly, so we are internally strengthening countermeasures and carefully ensuring their implementation on-site." He also explained that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency are currently implementing their own guidelines equivalent to the previous Level 4 social distancing.

Regarding internal investigations related to the recent stalking murder case in Jung-gu, Seoul, he explained, "The investigation is not only about holding individuals accountable but also about identifying whether systems such as personal protection measures, on-site dispatch, device accuracy, and system accuracy were properly implemented on-site, and finding alternatives," adding, "We plan to prepare countermeasures in conjunction with the on-site response enhancement task force (TF)."

Concerning the investigation of lawmakers related to real estate speculation allegations, four have been referred to the prosecution so far, and 25 cases have been closed without indictment or prosecution. Investigations such as pre-indictment inquiries are ongoing for the remaining four. Regarding the 'Daejang-dong allegations,' he stated that the investigation is proceeding according to procedure, including receiving and analyzing related materials from the prosecution at the end of last month.

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