[Column] Yoon Hee-geun, Nominee for Commissioner of Police Agency, 'The Fate of a Suitable Candidate'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] "I feel powerless, guilty, ashamed, and devastated, and I cannot stand before my colleagues and juniors." Earlier this month, former Commissioner General of the National Police Agency Kim Chang-ryong wrote this on his Facebook. He said he would bury the dream of his retirement ceremony, which he had envisioned throughout his 38 years as a police officer, deep in his heart. The establishment of the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the internal backlash against it, the reversal of the police superintendent personnel appointments, and the president's reprimand?all these events disrupted his dream of a retirement ceremony.

Former Commissioner Kim’s remarks were not limited to personal feelings. The situation within the police was the same. He said many felt powerless in the face of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Minister’s offensive, which was justified under the banner of ‘police control.’ The establishment of the Police Bureau has become a reality. It will be created within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 2nd of next month. The overwhelming sense of devastation felt by most police officers remains. Some officers have resigned themselves to the situation. It is now the responsibility of Police Commissioner Candidate Yoon Hee-geun to stabilize this organizational atmosphere. He must also restore the fractured relationship with the government externally. The government chose Candidate Yoon as the right person to carry out this mission.

Candidate Yoon also seems to be meeting the government’s expectations. He has taken a pro-government stance. Regarding the police reform plan, which frontline officers protested against through hunger strikes, head shaving, and collective resistance, he evaluated that "the autonomy of police administration has been secured." When the president hinted at deploying public authority during the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering incident, he immediately flew by helicopter to Geoje, Gyeongnam the next day. Internally, he is being labeled as the "spokesperson of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety" and the "government’s action leader." Although he posted a letter on the internal network and met with the National Police Workplace Council, the police union equivalent, promising to "make them feel pride," the atmosphere remains cold. Even before his inauguration and confirmation hearing, there are talks of "wobbly Yoon Hee-geun leadership."

It is time to catch both rabbits: police reform and police protection. Unlike before, when catching just one was enough, now both must be achieved. It is that difficult and the burden is heavy. Candidate Yoon himself said he "feels a heavy sense of responsibility and mission." Shakespeare wrote in the play Henry IV, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." This is also the destiny of the ‘right person’ Yoon Hee-geun.

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