Police: "Dialogue over Punishment" Proved More Effective

Expansion of 'Restorative Policing' Initiatives
Limitations of Arrest-Centered Police Activities
Problem Solving Led by Specialized Dialogue Agencies
722 Cases Received This Year... 499 Cases Mediated
Interfloor Noise Disputes Resolved Before Charges
All 258 Police Stations to Adopt Next Year

Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Seongpil Cho and Byeongdon Yoo] Last April, a man in his 30s who owns a twisted doughnut shop filed a complaint with the police against a regular customer in his 60s. The complaint stated that when the customer was told that in-store tasting was not allowed due to COVID-19, the intoxicated customer used abusive language and verbal threats. The case was to be sent to the prosecution with charges of insult without any special measures. The police intervened, obtained an apology from the customer, and the owner withdrew the complaint.

In one villa, neighbor conflicts over noise between floors reached a peak over the course of a year. The downstairs resident, frustrated by the upstairs noise, repeatedly played guitar late at night and sent abusive text messages, severely damaging their relationship. The police also mediated in this case. Eventually, the downstairs resident apologized for the abusive texts despite being stressed by the noise, and the upstairs resident promised to be careful about the late-night noise and submitted a letter of no prosecution. This case was closed before formal charges were filed, and no further reports were received from either party.

Such conflict resolution and mediation by the police is called ‘restorative policing.’ It is a procedure led by specialized dialogue institutions where parties involved in incidents requiring fundamental problem-solving engage in conversations to restore harm and prevent recurrence. After a pilot operation in 15 police stations nationwide in 2019, it expanded to 200 police stations last year. This year, it has been operated in 220 police stations.

According to the National Police Agency, 772 cases of restorative policing were received through July this year. Among them, dialogue between parties was conducted in 541 cases, and 499 cases were resolved through mediation. When the restorative procedure is completed, the dialogue content between the parties is attached so that it can be reflected in sentencing at the prosecution or court stages. For minor cases, the police directly close the case. This year, 303 cases were closed at the police stage through restorative policing. Restorative activities have been particularly effective in noise complaints between floors, which have become a social issue. Among 181 assault and threat cases where restorative procedures were applied, 50 were noise-related cases.

Restorative policing aligns with the court’s concept of ‘restorative justice.’ Restorative justice focuses not only on criminal punishment but also aims to reduce recidivism by rehabilitating defendants and supporting their reintegration into society. Three years ago, Judge Junyoung Jeong of the Seoul High Court, who sentenced Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jae-yong Lee to prison in the retrial related to the ‘state power manipulation’ case, introduced this concept in several trials, drawing attention. A representative case was granting bail to a mother who survived an attempted suicide after killing her child, monitoring her, and then sentencing her to probation.

Advanced countries such as the UK and the US have been operating restorative policing ahead of South Korea. It was introduced as part of community policing and problem-solving oriented policing. Recognizing the limitations of police activities focused solely on arresting criminals for fundamental crime prevention and community safety, they implemented restorative practices that promote relationship improvement through dialogue between parties involved.

Our police have judged that restorative activities are effective in realizing a ‘safe community trusted by the public’ and plan to increase the number of police stations operating restorative policing to 230 in the second half of this year. Next year, it will be expanded to all 258 police stations nationwide. A National Police Agency official said, "Restorative policing enhances the persuasiveness of police authority and reduces judicial costs," adding, "90% of victims and offenders involved in restorative cases expressed satisfaction in surveys."

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