Controversy Over Police Bureau Ends After 80 Days... Now Police Commissioner and Police University Reform

Appointment of 15 Police Bureau Members... Launch Tomorrow
All Police Except 4 from Ministry of the Interior and Safety
Reversal of Police Commissioner Personnel and Disciplinary Actions Concluded
Police University Function and Role Reorganization Sparks Debate
Ruling and Opposition Clash Delays Commissioner Confirmation Hearing
Even if Passed, Task Remains to Stabilize Organization

On the 1st, one day before the official launch of the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, officials are making final preparations at the Police Bureau office in the Government Seoul Office Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Gyumin Oh] The controversy over the establishment of the Police Bureau, which has continued for 80 days since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, is coming to a close. Once the Police Bureau appointments are finalized on the 1st and the bureau is launched on the 2nd, the conflicts will effectively be settled.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will announce the appointments of 15 members of the Police Bureau, excluding the Police Bureau Chief, on the afternoon of the 1st. Except for four officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the rest will be appointed from police officers. The first Police Bureau Chief will be Superintendent General Kim Soon-ho. Superintendent General Kim and the 15 appointees announced that day will begin working with the launch of the Police Bureau on the 2nd.

The controversy over the reversal of the Superintendent General personnel appointments, which influenced former National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong’s voluntary resignation, also seems to be concluding as the disciplinary levels for the involved parties are decided. The National Police Agency referred the Superintendent General in charge of police policy dispatched to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to the Central Disciplinary Committee with a recommendation for minor disciplinary action (such as salary reduction or suspension), and issued official warnings to the personnel officer and public relations officer of the National Police Agency. Although President Yoon Seok-yeol criticized the incident using the term “breach of national discipline,” it was effectively concluded to be a simple mistake.

The embers of conflict remain. The reform of the Korean National Police University, which was targeted as the main opposition force during the Police Bureau establishment discussions, is a pressing issue. Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min suggested pushing for reforms of the Police University, stating, “It is unfair to automatically start as a lieutenant just because one graduated from the Police University.” It takes between 6 years and up to 15 years and 6 months to reach the rank of lieutenant through general recruitment into the police. In contrast, Police University graduates are automatically commissioned as lieutenants upon graduation. The concentration of high-ranking positions among Police University alumni is also cited as a basis for criticism.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Sang-min Lee / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University’s Police and Judicial College said, “The goal of nurturing excellent police officers at the Police University has been achieved to some extent,” adding, “Since it plays a necessary role as an educational institution capable of providing specialized education and retraining for the police, discussions on redefining its functions and roles are needed.” On the other hand, Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University’s Department of Police Science expressed a negative opinion, stating, “The claim that lieutenant appointments are unfair is a distortion of facts,” and “It is the same logic as candidates taking exams and becoming lieutenants after one year of training, so the idea of abolishing a specific university is unfair.”

The appointment of the National Police Agency Commissioner General is also an urgent issue. Currently, candidate Yoon Hee-geun, who is serving as acting Commissioner General in his capacity as Deputy Commissioner General, was confirmed as a candidate last month but has yet to have a confirmation hearing. The hearing originally scheduled for the 4th was canceled due to disputes between the ruling and opposition parties over witness selection. It is known that candidate Yoon has requested the National Assembly to resubmit the confirmation hearing report by the 5th. Professor Lee Yun-ho, Chair Professor of Police Science at Korea Cyber University, said, “Whoever is appointed Commissioner General will face the same suspicions both inside and outside the police,” adding, “No one can be expected to oppose the words of the President and the Minister of the Interior and Safety or to represent the voice of the police.”

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