Yoon Administration Quickly Establishes Police Bureau... Opposition Says "True National Discipline Disruption Is the Government"

Passage of 'Police Bureau Establishment Plan' at Cabinet Meeting Amid Opposition from Opposition Parties and Frontline Police
Even Yoon Warns "Police Collective Action is a Serious Disruption of National Order"
Opposition Says "Government is the One Disrupting National Order"... 140,000 Police Meeting Scheduled for the 30th

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 26th. Photo by Kimsdoo@yna.co.kr [Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min (above) compared the police's backlash to a situation equivalent to the December 12 coup d'?tat.

On the 26th, Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Seo Young-kyo, head of the Countermeasures Team to Prevent Police Domination, are moving to deliver a protest letter to the Presidential Office near the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, after holding a press conference condemning the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's police domination. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The Democratic Party of Korea criticizes that the true disruption of national order is being caused by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yoon-jin] As the government and the Presidential Office have been firmly expressing their stance on the establishment of the Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) day after day, they are accelerating the promotion of police system reform plans. The opposition party also shows no signs of backing down, stating, "We will fight against the regime's conspiracy to control the police." The conflict surrounding the establishment of the Police Bureau appears to be reaching its peak.

The MOIS expedited the passage of the 'Police System Improvement Plan' by shortening the legislative notice period for the revision of the enforcement decree, which centers on the establishment of the Police Bureau, to four days. The draft enforcement decree went through a legislative notice from the 16th to the 19th, was approved at the vice-ministerial meeting on the 21st, and was resolved at the Cabinet meeting this morning (26th). Accordingly, when the enforcement decree is promulgated and enforced on the 2nd of next month, a Police Bureau consisting of 16 members will be established within the MOIS. The fact that the schedule for enforcement was finalized just 11 days after the announcement of the final police system reform plan reflects the government's strong determination to push forward.

Despite some opposition voices calling it a 'hasty push,' the government and the Presidential Office maintained a firm stance. On the 24th, Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi said at a press briefing, "The police have become very powerful due to the 'complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority (Geom-su-wan-bak)' and need checks and balances," and described the nationwide police chiefs' meeting held the previous day opposing the establishment of the Police Bureau as an "inappropriate act." On the 25th, Senior Secretary for Civil Society Kang Seung-gyu appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' criticizing the opposition's attack by saying, "They are framing the new government's reform tasks as 'Jeon Du-hwan style,'" and pointed out that "(The Police Bureau) is a measure to efficiently and systematically manage the police administrative affairs that have grown excessively due to the Geom-su-wan-bak law."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who is at the center of the police system reform plan, has been emphasizing the importance of the issue daily and making strong remarks. On the morning of the 25th, he met with reporters on his way to the Government Seoul Office and criticized the police chiefs' meeting on the 23rd by describing it as "a situation equivalent to the Hanahoe December 12 coup d'?tat." At the afternoon parliamentary question session, he raised the criticism level by saying, "Not establishing the Police Bureau is dereliction of duty by the Minister of the Interior and Safety," and added, "This is not a matter of sympathizing with the police officers or not." Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also defended the minister, saying, "The state cannot back down because of such things (the police backlash)."

Furthermore, with President Yoon Seok-yeol, who had recently refrained from making strong remarks and kept a distance from current issues, joining in, the government's stance on the establishment of the Police Bureau has become even more resolute. On the morning of the 26th, on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul, President Yoon strongly criticized the police's opposition, saying, "Collective resistance to policies pursued by the government in accordance with the Constitution and laws can become a serious disruption of national discipline." This went beyond his previous general response the day before, when he said, "The MOIS and the National Police Agency will take necessary measures well," and reinforced the push for the organizational reform plan.

The opposition party criticized it as an "attempt by the regime to control the police." On the 26th, instead of holding a floor strategy meeting, the Democratic Party of Korea held a 'Press Conference Condemning Yoon Seok-yeol Regime's Police Control' in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, opposing the push to establish the Police Bureau. Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, pointed out, "The government is rushing to establish the Police Bureau as if conducting a military operation. What are they afraid of?" He also criticized, "Today, the President called the collective voice of the police 'a disruption of national discipline.' Isn't the Yoon Seok-yeol government the one truly causing disruption of national order?" He raised his voice, urging, "Immediately halt the procedure to establish the Police Bureau and call on the President to apologize to the public and promptly attend to people's livelihoods."

Although the establishment of the Police Bureau was virtually confirmed by the Cabinet's resolution, opposition sentiment has not subsided. On the 26th, Lee Su-jin, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said in a briefing, "We strongly warn the reckless rush of the Yoon Seok-yeol government, which crushes internal dissent within the police like a tank and does not tolerate any disagreement." Frontline police officers have announced that they will hold a 'National Meeting of All 140,000 Police Officers' on the 30th to discuss issues such as the establishment of the Police Bureau, signaling a full-scale confrontation, and the clashes are expected to continue for the time being.

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