<기사제목>Police Agency Signs Practical Agreement with Europol to Strengthen Transnational Crime Response Capabilities

10th Among Non-European Countries

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is signing a practical agreement with Europol.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] On the 22nd, the National Police Agency signed a practical agreement to establish an official cooperative relationship with the European Union law enforcement cooperation organization, Europol (EPO).

With this, South Korea became the 10th non-European country to join Europol. The Korean police have been striving to join Europol since 2017 to strengthen the international cooperation infrastructure targeting the European region, and in October this year, the final negotiation draft of the practical agreement was unanimously approved by the Europol Management Board representing the 27 EU countries.

With the signing of this practical agreement, the Korean police will be able to directly exchange information and cooperate not only with the 27 EU countries but also with 17 European countries and 9 non-European countries that have agreements with Europol, as well as various international organizations and research groups that have established cooperative relationships with Europol.

In particular, the practical agreement includes inter-agency information exchange, ▲ sharing of expertise and strategic analytical outputs ▲ mutual participation in training programs ▲ support for joint investigations on individual criminal cases ▲ dispatch and joint work of the National Police Agency’s investigative cooperation officers at Europol headquarters ▲ introduction of Europol’s secure communication lines, among others, which is expected to greatly enhance the Korean police’s response capabilities to transnational crime.

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, said, "No single country’s efforts alone can adequately respond to evolving crimes anymore," adding, "Through the signing of this practical agreement, cooperation between the two agencies will become more concrete and substantial, and the joint response capabilities will also be significantly improved."

Catherine De Bol, Europol Chief, said, "In the current international security context where transnational crimes are intensifying and becoming more interconnected, cooperation between the Korean National Police Agency and Europol is very crucial," and added, "This is a valuable opportunity to enhance response capabilities against the threats posed by transnational crime."

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