National Police Commission: "MOIS Advisory Committee Recommendations Are a Regression in Police System Administration"

On the 21st, the Advisory Committee on Police System Improvement under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced recommendations for police control measures, including the establishment of a police bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The National Police Commission criticized the police control recommendations announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 'Police System Improvement Advisory Committee' on the 21st, stating that they "will result in regressing police administration and its system back to 32 years ago."

In a statement released that afternoon, the National Police Commission said, "There was insufficient review and consideration of the history of police democracy, which involves citizen control over the police and the decentralization of police authority." In 1991, to enhance the democracy of the police, 'public security' was removed from the duties of the Minister of the Interior under the Government Organization Act, leading to the independence of the National Police Agency and the introduction of the National Police Commission as a control mechanism over the police. The advisory committee's recommendations are seen as policies that go against this historical progress.

The National Police Commission emphasized that the core of police system improvement lies in citizen participation and democratic control based on the rule of law and democracy. They stressed that police control should begin with the actualization of the National Police Commission to strengthen the police's democracy, neutrality, and fairness. In particular, the commission argued that efforts to secure the independence of the National Investigation Headquarters and to enhance police investigative capabilities through personnel, material, and institutional supplements must continue to alleviate public concerns about the expansion of police investigative authority.

Kim Ho-cheol, Chairman of the National Police Commission, urged "prompt public discussion and national debate on the police law amendment bills submitted to the National Assembly," adding, "We will continue to make our best efforts to ensure the democracy, neutrality, and fairness of the police."

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