Kneeling on the floor? Female police officer candidates also do push-ups in a 'proper posture'

Physical Fitness Test for Female Police Officer Candidates Same as Male in Police Recruitment Exam
Changes Due to Gender Equality Issues and Distrust of Female Officers

Female police officer candidates took the physical fitness test with the same 'standard push-up' form as male candidates in the police recruitment exam.

On the 15th, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced that starting from the second half of this year, the push-up posture for female candidates in the police officer recruitment physical fitness test was changed from the previous 'knee-down position' to the 'standard push-up' according to the revised standards.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

Until now, female candidates were evaluated on push-ups performed with their knees on the ground, maintaining a 45-degree angle between the lower legs and the floor. However, from now on, they must perform push-ups in the same manner as males: with both hands shoulder-width apart, feet together, arms at a right angle, and the body kept horizontal.

Earlier, the National Police Commission, a police review and decision-making body, held a plenary session in November last year and approved a partial amendment to the 'Regulations on Police Officer Recruitment Exams' reflecting this change.

There had been concerns about gender equality since only female candidates were allowed to do push-ups with their knees down during the police recruitment exam. Following controversies over female police officers' responses during the 2021 Incheon stabbing incident, a change was made to require female candidates to perform push-ups in the standard form as well.

This change has been applied since the second exam this year, and the physical fitness tests conducted recently at police agencies nationwide are being carried out according to the revised standards.

Female candidates participating in the physical fitness test at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on this day also took the test using the new method.

However, the perfect score criteria have been relaxed. Last year, when push-ups were done with knees down, 50 repetitions in one minute were required for a perfect score of 10 points. This year, 31 standard push-ups in one minute will earn a perfect score. For male candidates, the test method remains the same as last year, but the perfect score standard has been raised from 58 to 61 or more push-ups in one minute.

From 2026, the physical fitness test for new police officer recruitment will be conducted under the same standards regardless of gender. The test format will also change from 'event-based' such as push-ups to a 'circuit' style.

Candidates, regardless of gender, will wear a 4.2 kg weighted vest and must complete five courses ? obstacle course running, pole hurdle jumping, pushing and pulling, rescue, and trigger pulling ? within a time limit of 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Meanwhile, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom are known to have the same standards for male and female police officer recruitment. Singapore evaluates physical fitness based on age-differentiated criteria rather than gender.

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