Police Commissioner Reaching Retirement Age During Term... Is It Right to Step Down?

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It has been confirmed that a bill (Amendment to the Police Officer Act) aimed at guaranteeing the term of the National Police Agency Commissioner regardless of the retirement age has been pending in the National Assembly for nearly two years since its proposal. Amid dominant expectations that the bill will be stalled for a long time due to the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over 'prosecutor and police reform,' voices within the police are calling for the bill to be processed swiftly.

The 'Bill to Guarantee the Term of the National Police Agency Commissioner' was primarily proposed by Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, in June 2020. Seventeen fellow opposition lawmakers, including Song Young-gil, Hwang Un-ha, and Yoon Mi-hyang, signed the bill. The reason for the proposal stated that "there is a concern that the National Police Agency Commissioner may reach the mandatory retirement age (60 years old) during the term and be forced to retire before completing the term." After its proposal, the amendment was reviewed by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and then submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for examination. However, it has been pending without reaching the plenary session due to the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties. A staff member from an opposition lawmaker's office said, "There has been no progress due to opposition from the ruling party."

At the time, the bill was widely seen as part of the ruling Democratic Party's agenda for 'prosecutor reform.' There were also remarks that the bill was intended to empower the police, whose responsibilities increased due to the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and the police. In fact, Jeong, who primarily proposed this bill, has positioned himself as a leading figure in prosecutor reform. He was also the primary proposer of the 'Police Act Amendment' that aimed to elevate the National Police Agency Commissioner to a ministerial level.

Regardless of the background of the proposal, there was a strong sentiment inside and outside the police that the passage of the 'Bill to Guarantee the Term of the National Police Agency Commissioner' was necessary. The argument was that the term of the National Police Agency Commissioner, who leads 140,000 police officers, should be guaranteed so that they can fully carry out their responsibilities. The current law sets the term of the National Police Agency Commissioner at two years, but if the commissioner reaches the retirement age during the term, they must retire automatically in June or December of that year. This was the case with former Commissioner Lee Cheol-seong. Lee was inaugurated as the 20th National Police Agency Commissioner in August 2016 but retired in June 2018 without completing his term due to reaching the retirement age. This was the first case since the introduction of the term guarantee system for the National Police Agency Commissioner in 2003.

Within the police, voices are emerging that guaranteeing the term of the National Police Agency Commissioner is inevitable for organizational stabilization, especially during the 'prosecutor and police reform' period that has arisen since the new government took office. A police official said, "It is a sad reality for the police that the National Police Agency Commissioner, of all positions, cannot complete the term due to age and has to step down." The 'Bill to Guarantee the Term of the National Police Agency Commissioner' will take effect from the date of promulgation. It will apply to the commissioner in office at the time of enforcement. The current term of Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong ends on July 23. The next National Police Agency Commissioner will be appointed from among the seven current Senior Superintendents General.

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