Controversy Surrounding the Police University, Where Should the Focus Be?

Controversy Over Police University Privileges... Mention of Reform and Possible Abolition
People Who Were Positive About Police University Beyond Political Logic
More Than Police University Controversy... Need to Solve Accumulated Issues Like Work Overload

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The debate over abolishing the Korean National Police University (KNPU) has suddenly intensified recently. It began with opposition from frontline police officers. On the 23rd of last month, senior superintendents held a nationwide police station chiefs' meeting at the Police Human Resources Development Institute to oppose the establishment of the Police Bureau. The key figure in this meeting was Senior Superintendent Ryu Sam-young.

Attention that had been focused on the Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) shifted to the KNPU as it was revealed that Senior Superintendent Ryu Sam-young is a graduate of the 4th class of KNPU. Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min compared the frontline police officers' movement to a 'coup d'?tat' and subsequently mentioned reform and fairness regarding the KNPU. On the 26th of last month, Minister Lee stated, "Automatically appointing someone to grade 7 just because they graduated from a specific university is the beginning of what is nowadays called unfairness." Following this, Lee Chae-ik, a member of the People Power Party, said, "The fact that 3% of police officers from KNPU seem to represent the position of 140,000 police officers should be pointed out on this occasion." The government's intention to exclude KNPU graduates is also reflected in the fact that 12 out of 16 staff members in the Police Bureau are non-KNPU graduates, raising the possibility of abolishing the KNPU altogether.

KNPU Established to Train Elite Police Officers... Specialized Investigation Education Stagnates

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The KNPU was established in response to the demand for elite police officers. According to the 'Direction of Korean Police in the 1970s' by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Park Chung-hee regime in 1972, which played the role of today's MOIS, the regime wanted a police force that would shed the negative images of colonial police and political police and respond to changes in the security environment such as the increasing sophistication of crime. The 'Police University Establishment Act,' passed by the regular National Assembly in November 1979, also explained the purpose of establishing the KNPU as "to provide learning and physical and mental training to those who will become police executives engaged in national security affairs." Thus, the KNPU opened on March 9, 1981.

Elite education has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the state can concentrate resources intensively on personnel with special abilities. In other words, expertise can be maximized efficiently. Conversely, a typical disadvantage is the tendency toward exclusivity or inbreeding among elites. The criticisms currently directed at the KNPU by government officials fall within this context. However, these are inevitable side effects of choosing elite education.

Is the current KNPU maximizing even the advantages of elite education, leaving aside the disadvantages? Professor Lee Sang-won, formerly of Yongin University’s Department of Police Administration, argued in his thesis 'A Study on the Development Plan of the Police University' that "to strengthen specialized investigation education, elective courses such as investigative psychology and sexual violence crime investigation should be established and operated," and "a system allowing autonomous course selection should be introduced by lowering the credit proportion of mandatory courses." Due to the advancement of science and technology such as the 4th Industrial Revolution, the sophistication of crime has increased, making specialization in investigation particularly important. However, the advanced major credits required at KNPU currently amount to only 12 credits, about 10% of the total graduation credits (140 credits). Furthermore, law and public administration still occupy a majority of the major subjects.

KNPU Abolition and Reform Issues Entangled in Political Logic... Truly Important Issues Are Overlooked

The National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd, when the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police Bureau officially launched. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

So, is it right to abolish the KNPU indiscriminately? Although public perception of the police has consistently been negative, the KNPU has been viewed positively. According to the 'Public Perception Survey on the Police University' in the detailed materials on KNPU reform, as of 2017, 74% of the general public opposed the abolition of the KNPU. In 2012, 75.4% also opposed its abolition. This indicates that before the KNPU abolition issue became entangled in political logic, public opinion toward the KNPU was not unfavorable. This is because the current police personnel system has been delivering results in public safety. In the same survey, 73.4% of respondents evaluated that the KNPU contributed to enhancing police professionalism. Additionally, 70.1% responded that the KNPU had a positive impact on police development.

Ultimately, this issue lies with the political circles that interpret and exploit the value of 'fairness' as they please. The political circles, which should be discussing constructive measures for elite education, are merely advocating for either the abolition of the KNPU, the elimination of privileges, or the continuation of the KNPU. The conservative government, which had relatively defended elite education until now, is now focused on weakening the power of KNPU graduates, claiming that the KNPU violates the value of fairness. Conversely, the Democratic Party, which had been negative about elite education, is now emphasizing the necessity of the KNPU. Former President Moon Jae-in had pledged to abolish the KNPU during his presidential campaign. Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party's Emergency Committee Chairman, said on the 28th of last month regarding Minister Lee's mention of KNPU reform, "The police have trained more specialized personnel at the KNPU, and it is wrong to label them as a privileged class."

There are concerns that other important issues requiring deep consideration may also be treated simplistically. The Police Bureau was created by a presidential decree without amending the Government Organization Act, which stipulates that police affairs such as public safety are under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency, but this issue has been overshadowed by the KNPU abolition debate. Not only the current government but also future administrations facing divided legislatures could use the same trick.

Issues such as enhancing investigative capabilities following the adjustment of investigative authority and increasing police personnel are also mentioned, but these too are likely to be handled superficially. According to the National Police Agency, after the adjustment of investigative authority, the number of cases handled per investigator from January to October last year was 17.9, a 19.3% increase compared to the same period the previous year, indicating that the problem of frontline police officers' workload has not yet surfaced. The workload of police officers affects public safety services and criminal investigations. When asked about the current issues involving the Police Bureau and the KNPU, a frontline police officer said, "What does that matter? The officers on the ground are so busy working they could die."

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