'Ministry of the Interior and Safety Police Bureau' Launches on August 2... Established After 3 Months of Discussion (Comprehensive)

Composed of 3 Departments: General Support, Personnel Support, and Autonomous Police
Total 16 Members Including Police Commissioner, 12 Assigned as Police Officers
Final Plan for Establishing Police Bureau Passed Cabinet Meeting 11 Days After Announcement

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is leaving the briefing room after delivering a statement regarding last weekend's police chief meeting at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Amid intense opposition from the police over the establishment of the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the revised enforcement decree containing the establishment of the Police Bureau passed the Cabinet meeting, and the Police Bureau will be launched starting from the 2nd of next month.

On the morning of the same day, the government approved the enforcement decree for the establishment of the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Seoul Office. The Police Bureau, consisting of 16 members including the Police Commissioner General as the director, will be newly established.

The Police Bureau will be composed of three divisions: the General Support Division, the Personnel Support Division, and the Autonomous Police Division. Except for the General Support Division Chief, the heads of the Personnel Support Division and the Autonomous Police Division will all be Police Senior Superintendents.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will increase the number of police officers by 12 (1 Commissioner General, 2 Senior Superintendents, 4 Superintendents, 1 Inspector, and 4 Inspectors) and add one 3rd or 4th grade civil servant, while reallocating three existing civil servants within the Ministry.

Considering the nature and functions of the Police Bureau's duties, three-quarters of the total 16 personnel, i.e., 12, will be assigned as police officers. The general civil servants will be assigned as one General Support Division Chief, one General Support Division staff member, and two Autonomous Police Support Division staff members.

The Police Bureau Director and the Personnel Support Division Chief can be staffed exclusively by police officers, and the personnel department will be fully staffed with police officers, including the department head.

Regarding the duties of the Police Bureau by division, the General Support Division will submit important policies and laws of the National Police Agency to the Cabinet meeting and may submit agenda items to the National Police Commission.

The Personnel Support Division will recommend the appointment of police officers at the rank of Senior Superintendent or higher and members of the National Police Commission. The Autonomous Police Division will support the operation of the autonomous police system. Although the Police Bureau is formally established under the Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, it is effectively an organization directly under the Minister.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min plans to immediately begin selecting members of the Police Bureau following the passage of the establishment plan at the Cabinet meeting and will start discussions with Yoon Hee-geun, the nominee for Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, regarding this matter.

The police affairs organization was newly established within the government just three months after discussions on police system improvements began. Minister Lee announced the plan to establish the Police Bureau on the 15th, and after the legislative notice on the same day, proceeded swiftly through the Vice Minister’s meeting on the 21st and the Cabinet meeting on the 26th.

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