President to Announce Police Senior Official Personnel Changes After Approval Amid 'National Discipline' Criticism

'Announcement of Personnel Plans Received from the Ministry of the Interior' Practice
Miscommunication over Abolition of Blue House Civil Affairs Office
"Discontent over Reduced Authority to Recommend Police Chief"
Commissioner Kim: "Will Not Neglect Duties"

The police flag of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency is fluttering in the wind. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The police have decided to announce future high-ranking personnel appointments only after receiving presidential approval. This measure is aimed at preventing a recurrence of the recent reversal of the Chief Superintendent personnel appointments, which President Yoon Seok-yeol criticized as a "very serious breach of national discipline." Within the police force, there is a sense of some unfairness, and there are also expectations that the Commissioner of the National Police Agency's authority to recommend personnel appointments will be significantly reduced in the future.

According to a compilation of reports on the 24th, the National Police Agency has attributed one of the causes of the unprecedented reversal controversy surrounding the recent Chief Superintendent personnel announcement to "customary practice" and has decided accordingly. Since the incident occurred after announcing personnel plans received from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety before presidential approval, they intend to overhaul this practice. A National Police Agency official said, "It was true that personnel notices were made before presidential approval," but added, "from now on, we plan to announce only after approval."

There is a somewhat aggrieved atmosphere within the police. When the Blue House's Office of Civil Affairs, which used to conduct personnel verification, was in place, the police, Blue House Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety completed personnel consultations in advance, and when the Blue House handed over the final plan to the police, it was announced in the form of a 'pre-appointment' even before presidential approval. In the current administration, where the Office of Civil Affairs has been abolished, the previous three personnel appointments, including promotions to Chief Superintendent, were also announced before presidential approval, but this time the situation has become seriously complicated.

Some analysts interpret this as the beginning of a move by the current government to take control of police personnel authority. A police official said, "Honestly, until now, the Minister of the Interior and Safety respected the National Police Agency Commissioner's recommendation rights, and appointments were proposed to the president and approved without major changes." The proposal and approval process was practically a formality, but this was not the case with the recent Chief Superintendent appointments. Another police official said, "In the future, the Commissioner's recommendation rights will be merely advisory, and actual personnel decisions will be made by the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the president."

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is attending the Blue Dragon Volunteer Award ceremony held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Initially, the incident appeared to escalate into a dispute over the facts between the police and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. On the afternoon of the 21st, the police posted the Chief Superintendent personnel appointments on their internal network but revised and re-announced them two hours later. During this process, seven positions were changed. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency gave somewhat differing accounts of the cause of this incident. The police said from the beginning, "We announced the personnel plan believing that the one initially sent by the Ministry's Security Policy Division was the final plan." In contrast, the Ministry said, "The police announced a draft that was still in the drafting stage on their own." The police claimed there was a lack of communication, while the Ministry accused the police of bypassing them.

However, the president sided with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, putting the police in a more difficult position. President Yoon said on his way to work the previous day, "It is unacceptable that a police personnel plan, different from the final plan and without presidential approval, was announced." This was a strong statement that could be interpreted as accusing the police of bypassing not only the Ministry but also himself. He even used the term "breach of national discipline" to reprimand the police. This strongly suggests that the Commissioner's recommendation rights and position will inevitably be diminished in future personnel matters.

The National Police Agency has not issued any particular response to the president's reprimand. Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong also made no special remarks on his way home the previous day. However, when asked about his position, Commissioner Kim said, "I do not think it is appropriate to disclose my current stance," but added, "I remain committed to fulfilling my duties and responsibilities without neglect, regardless of my position." This was a subtle dismissal of calls for his resignation following the president's remarks about the breach of national discipline. President Yoon also said on his way to work that day, "He has one month left in his term; is that important?" Commissioner Kim's term ends on the 23rd of next month. On the same day, Commissioner Kim carried out the originally scheduled Blue Dragon Service Award ceremony as planned.

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