Police Chief: "We Will Do Our Best to Strengthen Investigation Capabilities... Discussing Personnel and Budget Supplement"

'Prosecutors' Office Act Amendment' Passed by National Assembly
Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner, Regular Press Briefing
"Investigation Authority Expansion, Budget Securing Challenges"
Inside and Outside: "Increased Burden Amid Work Overload"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated on the 2nd regarding the passage of the amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, a key part of the legislative separation of prosecution investigation rights, in the National Assembly plenary session, "We will do our best to strengthen the police's investigative capabilities." Addressing concerns about the concentration of police authority and excessive workload, he said, "We will focus all our efforts on expanding insufficient personnel and budget to ensure that the public does not suffer any harm."

At a press briefing that morning, Commissioner Kim said, "With the passage of the Prosecutors' Office Act in the National Assembly plenary session, the expansion of police investigative authority has emerged as a task that must be resolved by increasing investigative personnel and supplementing the budget." The amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, passed on the 1st in the National Assembly plenary session, separates the prosecution's investigation and prosecution rights and limits the prosecution's direct investigation targets from the existing six major crimes to corruption and economic crimes. Accordingly, the police's investigative authority is expected to be significantly expanded. Commissioner Kim said, "Since the investigative workload is expected to increase, we plan to closely consult with related ministries to expand personnel and budget."

Last year, the adjustment of investigation rights between the prosecution and police led to criticism that frontline investigative police officers were overloaded with case handling. With this amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, concerns about the increased investigative workload inside and outside the police are mounting. Commissioner Kim said, "Currently, our frontline investigators are experiencing many difficulties due to excessive workload," adding, "There are issues with delays in case processing periods, and since the scope of direct prosecution investigation is reduced, the police's investigative burden is expected to increase. Therefore, urgent supplementation of personnel and budget to support this is necessary," he emphasized again.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Commissioner Kim expressed regret toward the prosecution, which repeatedly used the narrative frame of 'incompetent police' to oppose the amendment to the Police Act. He said, "The Korean police are recognized as the best in terms of expertise and capability, to the extent that many countries worldwide request our investigative techniques," but added, "Nevertheless, there were many claims belittling the police's investigative capabilities and achievements this time, which regrettably caused significant damage to the morale and pride of our investigative officers." Commissioner Kim also stated, "Still, our police plan to continuously improve the ongoing responsible investigation system without gaps and to enhance investigative capabilities through necessary training, investigative techniques, and equipment system improvements."

Regarding concerns from some quarters about police overexpansion due to the amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, Commissioner Kim emphasized, "Basically, once the law is promulgated, the police will form a task force (TF) internally and closely cooperate with related agencies," adding, "We will focus all our efforts to ensure that no harm comes to the public due to a lack of police investigative capabilities." Meanwhile, when asked about specific plans for personnel and budget supplementation, Commissioner Kim avoided a direct answer, saying, "The procedures for promulgating the law are still underway," and "Once the law is promulgated and enforced, we will create a dedicated internal department to coordinate with related departments and proceed."

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