Democratic Party, Yoon's Police Bureau Establishment "Will Prevent Illegal Police Takeover Attempt"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] On the 17th, the Democratic Party of Korea stated to the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which plans to establish a Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, "The Democratic Party will block any illegal attempts to seize control of the police, including the establishment of the Police Bureau, in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the 'Yoon Seok-yeol Regime Police Control Countermeasures Committee Meeting' held at the National Assembly in the afternoon, "We are already reviewing responses at the standing committee and under the National Assembly Act."

Park said, "The people are going through a difficult time with triple hardships such as high inflation, COVID-19, and heavy rains, but the Yoon administration swiftly pushed through the establishment of the Police Bureau," adding, "They did not even consult with the ruling party, the People Power Party. The process of establishing the Police Bureau violated the spirit and purpose of the law, went against history, and opposed the will of the people."

Targeting Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety, Park said, "Before even receiving the appointment letter, all he did was devote all his efforts to establishing the Police Bureau out of loyalty," emphasizing, "We will carefully consider various alternatives and respond together with the people legally."

Woo Sang-ho, the emergency committee chairman, also harshly criticized the 'establishment of the Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety' on the same day.

Woo said, "When I was in college, the police security headquarters system was directly controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs," adding, "Under pressure, police power was exercised according to the purposes of those in power, leading to sacrifices like martyr Park Jong-cheol, who died from torture." He continued, "Tragedies and human rights deteriorations caused by police power being exercised to suit the tastes of those in power have been part of Korea's history," calling it a "nightmarish period."

He went on, "The issue of establishing the Police Bureau is inevitably connected to the democracy of the Republic of Korea," and said, "I want to point out whether there is an urgent reason to change the police’s independence now and to reposition it as a 'police for the people.'"

At the full meeting of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee scheduled for the 18th, a report on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s work is planned, and a fierce confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the Police Bureau is expected.

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