Ministry of Interior and Safety Police Bureau Personnel Selection Finalizing... Section Chiefs and Others to Be Confirmed and Announced Next Week

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is announcing the plan to establish a Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, a measure to improve the police system, at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office Annex on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The personnel lineup for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Police Bureau, which will be launched on the 2nd of next month, is taking shape. Kim Sun-ho, Police Superintendent General, has been confirmed as the first Police Bureau Chief, and appointments for department head-level positions are expected to be announced soon.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will finalize the appointments, including the heads of three departments under the Police Bureau?General Support Division, Personnel Support Division, and Autonomous Police Division?by the 1st of next month. Among these, the positions to be held by police officers are the heads of the Personnel Support Division and the Autonomous Police Division. Officers at the Senior Superintendent rank will be appointed to these positions. The remaining General Support Division is expected to be staffed by a Grade 4 civil servant. It is known that the Ministry has already received recommended candidates for these department head positions from the National Police Agency and is conducting final personnel arrangements.

The General Support Division will oversee operational affairs as well as matters related to improving police treatment. The Personnel Support Division will function to guarantee the Minister of the Interior and Safety’s authority to propose personnel appointments for ranks of Senior Superintendent and above, and will also support the proposal of members to the National Police Commission. The first task of the Personnel Support Division is expected to be the upcoming promotion and assignment of Police Superintendent Generals and Police Superintendents. The Autonomous Police Division will perform functions such as consultation, advice, and guidance with local governments regarding the autonomous police system, which has just passed its first year since implementation.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Police Bureau will be established on the 2nd of next month, when the partial revision of the Ministry and its affiliated agencies’ organizational regulations is promulgated and enforced. The enforcement decree includes the creation of the Police Bureau within the Ministry and an increase of 13 necessary personnel. Among these, 12 will be police officers, accounting for 75% of the entire bureau. On the 29th, the Ministry appointed Police Superintendent General Kim Sun-ho as the first Police Bureau Chief. Superintendent General Kim will begin working with the bureau’s launch.

The Police Bureau was first discussed on the day Minister Lee Sang-min took office, during the Police System Improvement Advisory Committee formed by the Ministry. The committee, composed of experts, held four meetings including the launch day and on the 21st of last month announced recommendations that included the establishment of the Police Bureau and the enactment of the National Police Agency Chief’s command regulations. Minister Lee officially confirmed the establishment of the Police Bureau six days after the announcement, on the 27th of last month.

Frontline police officers strongly opposed the move, arguing that it infringes on police autonomy and independence, but the Ministry of the Interior and Safety accelerated the bureau’s early launch. The public notice period, which was stipulated as “more than 40 days,” was shortened to 4 days starting on the 15th. Subsequently, the process was completed at lightning speed with submission to the Cabinet meeting on the 26th. Going forward, the Police Bureau is expected to emerge as a key position within the police, responsible for all police-related policies and personnel matters, similar to the Prosecutor’s Office within the Ministry of Justice.

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