Minister of the Interior and Safety on "Police University Unfairness" Remarks... "Is Commissioning of Military Academy Second Lieutenants Also Unfair?" Backlash

100 to 1 Competition Rate, Concerns Over Reverse Discrimination at Police University Rise
Adjustment of Commissioned Ranks and Appointment of Senior Officers from Patrol Officers Expected
Attention on National Assembly Public Administration Committee Discussions... Lee Chae-ik, Committee Chair, "Standing Committee Will Also Play Its Role"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee]"Is it unfair to enter as a lieutenant after graduating from the Korean National Police University? Then isn't it also unfair to be commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating from the Korea Military Academy?", "I passed the exam fairly after competing against 100 to 1 odds by retaking it two or three times, but now being labeled as part of the deep-rooted problems makes me feel a sense of self-disgust."

Following the establishment of the Police Bureau, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min hinted at a 'reform of the unfair Korean National Police University,' sparking backlash from graduates of the Police University.

"Automatic Appointment as Grade 7 Public Officials is Unfair" VS "Rather Reverse Discrimination Against Police University Graduates"

On the 26th, before reporting to President Yoon, Minister Lee said in a pre-briefing regarding the reform of the Police University, "It is unfair that simply graduating from the Police University allows automatic commissioning as a lieutenant without taking an exam," and added, "Creating a system where graduating from a specific university makes it impossible to catch up with the gap is problematic."

Police officers who graduated from the Police University are raising their criticism by mentioning reverse discrimination issues. Officer A, working in an investigative unit in Seoul, said, "If we are going to be criticized even after reforms close to abolition, it would be better to just abolish it."

Officer B, from the MZ generation (born in the 1980s to 2000s), said, "Isn't the transfer system already being implemented as part of the Police University reform?" and added, "The tradition and sense of belonging have long disappeared." He also stated, "Sometimes we even face reverse discrimination during personnel processes." Another officer raised his voice, saying, "The appointment of Police University graduates as lieutenants is a system created by the state and government, so it makes no sense to direct accusations of unfairness at the graduates," and "I can't believe such remarks came from a minister who is also a member of the State Council."

Adjustment of Commissioned Ranks and ‘Promotion of Patrol Officers to Senior Positions’

Measures such as adjusting the automatic appointment rank for public officials (lieutenant, equivalent to grade 7) or adding exams are being discussed. Typically, graduates of the Police University are appointed directly as lieutenants (equivalent to grade 7). The police ranks consist of 11 levels, with the lowest rank being patrol officer, which is four levels below lieutenant.

Expansion of senior positions for patrol officer backgrounds is also being promoted. During the presidential campaign, President Yoon pledged to appoint more than 20% of senior officials at the rank of police superintendent or higher from patrol officer backgrounds. Since President Yoon raised the issue of personnel unfairness within the police, it is expected that the ruling party and government will quickly begin reform efforts. According to the National Police Agency, as of last month, out of a total of 132,421 police officers, 3,249 (2.5%) are Police University graduates, while among 632 police superintendents, 381 (over 60%) are graduates of the Police University.

Rapid Police University Reform... Ruling Party’s Public Administration and Security Committee in Focus

Ruling party lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee also plan to actively push for Police University reform. Lee Chae-ik, chairman of the committee from the People Power Party, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "Police University reform has long been an expectation of the public," and added, "Since the Democratic Party also prepared reform plans for the Police University in the past, they have no grounds to oppose it." He further stated, "Once the Police Bureau issue is somewhat resolved and the new National Police Agency chief takes office, discussions on Police University reform are expected to naturally arise during the inquiry process on current issues."

In fact, during the Moon Jae-in administration, lawmakers Jin Sun-mi and former lawmaker Pyo Chang-won proposed bills including provisions such as commissioning as a lieutenant after completing a master's program with over five years of police service and appointment as a patrol officer upon admission.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to form a Police System Development Committee under the Prime Minister in August to discuss ‘Police University reform.’ Regarding the establishment of the Police Bureau, the public notice period for the enforcement decree was drastically shortened from 40 days to 4 days, indicating that the reform process will accelerate after expert discussions. Additionally, it is analyzed that communication within the police will become faster once the Police Bureau is established on the 2nd of next month.

A key ruling party official said, "To speed up legislation, it is more likely to proceed through lawmakers' bills rather than government bills," but added, "Since the establishment of the Police Bureau was highly controversial, detailed bills will likely be prepared after fully hearing expert opinions."

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