National Police Officers Association: "Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police System Reform Proposal is a Serious Historical Regression"

The National Police Workplace Council (Jikhyup) Min Gwan-gi, President of the Jikhyup at Cheongju Heungdeok Police Station in Chungbuk, along with the presidents of the Jikhyup from four other police stations, held a hunger strike and head-shaving protest on the 4th in front of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, opposing the establishment of the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The chairpersons of the National Police Workplace Council (Jikhyup) stated on the 15th that the police system improvement plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety represents "a serious historical regression aimed at privatizing police authority under political power."

In a statement released on the morning of the 18th, the Jikhyup chairpersons wrote, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's announcement shows a lack of understanding of the historical establishment process of the current police system and highlights only its problems, proposing the creation of a new Police Bureau as a solution." They also said, "It ignores the risks of direct government control that emerged from the background and process of the National Police Agency being separated as an independent external agency in 1991."

The Jikhyup chairpersons were particularly wary of the Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety intervening in personnel procedures. They emphasized, "This is a serious act that infringes on the neutrality and independence of the police. The personnel authority of the National Police Agency Commissioner must be guaranteed to the greatest extent as it strengthens the Commissioner's responsibility for public safety." As the basis for this claim, the Jikhyup chairpersons cited provisions from the current Police Act and Police Officers Act. According to these laws, the National Police Commission has the right to consent to the appointment of the National Police Agency Commissioner, who in turn has the right to recommend appointments for senior positions including metropolitan and provincial police agency chiefs at the rank of Senior Superintendent General or higher. Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior and Safety holds the authority to propose appointments for senior positions including the National Police Agency Commissioner and metropolitan and provincial police agency chiefs at the rank of Senior Superintendent General or higher. The Jikhyup chairpersons expressed concern that "if senior appointments are manipulated through the Minister of the Interior and Safety's appointment proposal authority, the police force could be operated as an organization loyal to political power."

The Jikhyup chairpersons also opposed the creation of an autonomous police bureau within the Police Bureau, stating, "The Minister of the Interior and Safety has no authority over the autonomous police committee's operation and therefore cannot establish an autonomous police support division." They pointed out that this disregards the background and process of the National Police Agency's separation as an independent external agency in 1991. Last July, in line with the ideology of local decentralization, Korea introduced the autonomous police system by granting police authority to local governments, making them responsible for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of police forces to realize 'regionally tailored' public safety services.

While pointing out these issues, the Jikhyup chairpersons put forward three demands: ▲ Guaranteeing the independence of the National Police Agency Commissioner's personnel authority ▲ Reconsidering the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's centralized control measures that run counter to the era of local decentralization ▲ Ensuring that frontline police officers devote themselves solely to public safety for the people. The Jikhyup stated, "We will strongly and resolutely respond to unjust investigative commands from police leadership and crackdowns or showy policing policies aimed at enforcement," adding, "We will fulfill our role as democratic police to become an independent and neutral police force."

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