New Head of National Police Agency is Former Prosecutor Jeong Sun-shin... Internal Police Opposition

Classified as a close aide to President Yoon Seok-yeol
Han Dong-hoon and Lee Won-seok are Judicial Research and Training Institute classmates
Inside police: "The purpose of adjusting prosecution and police investigation rights is undermined"

Attorney Jeong Soon-shin, a former prosecutor, has been appointed as the new head of the National Investigation Headquarters, which oversees police investigations. Inside the police force, there was backlash against the appointment of the new head, saying it undermines the purpose of the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecutors.

Attorney Jeong Soon-shin appointed as the 2nd Chief of the National Investigation Headquarters [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 24th, the National Police Agency announced the appointment of Attorney Jeong Soon-shin as the new head of the National Investigation Headquarters. Jeong’s term begins on the 26th, and the inauguration ceremony will be held on the 27th.

Jeong is a former prosecutor from the 27th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. In the past, he worked alongside President Yoon Seok-youl at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. When President Yoon served as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Jeong was the human rights supervisor, and is considered a close aide to President Yoon. Additionally, he is a classmate of Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon and Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok from the Judicial Research and Training Institute. The National Police Agency cited "strengthening the police’s responsibility and investigative capabilities by recruiting an experienced outsider" as the reason for this appointment.

The possibility of a former prosecutor becoming the head of the National Investigation Headquarters had been anticipated since the recruitment process. Three candidates applied for the position: Jeong Soon-shin, former Seoul Police Agency Investigation Chief Jang Kyung-seok (59), and former Chief of Hwacheon Police Station in Gangwon Province Choi In-seok (48). The current administration has shown a tendency to favor former prosecutors and established the Police Bureau, appointing Kim Soon-ho, a non-police university graduate and president of the Korean National Police University, as the first Police Bureau chief, signaling a move to keep the police in check.

There was opposition within the police force to this personnel decision. They argued that appointing a former prosecutor to oversee police investigations effectively nullifies the purpose of the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecutors. Furthermore, some expressed doubts about whether a former prosecutor, unfamiliar with the police organization, could lead the force effectively.

On the police internal network, one officer said, "The purpose of adjusting investigative authority between the police and prosecutors is being undermined," adding, "I’m even afraid to write something like this." Some agreed, saying, "This was foreseeable from the moment the Police Bureau was established." Another officer sarcastically remarked, "It was expected that a former prosecutor would be appointed as the head of the National Investigation Headquarters. Won’t the day come when a police officer is appointed as Prosecutor General?"

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