Although the Distribution Rate of Equipment to Prevent 'Malicious Complaints' Is High... It Is 'Not Used' On Site

Wearable Cam Distribution in Local Governments 96.7%
"Not Used or Tried by People Around"
Complaints About Form and Management Procedures

The government has faced criticism that the on-site utilization of 'wearable cams' distributed to protect civil complaint officers is low. The main reasons cited are inconvenience and complicated procedures, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to find solutions by revising the enforcement decree to simplify usage procedures.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 16th, as of June 30 this year, 96.7% of local governments and 90.8% of education offices had distributed wearable cams and other portable audio-video recording devices. These figures represent a significant increase from 63.4% and 70.3% respectively last year.

However, frontline public officials admitted that they do not use wearable cams much due to usage procedures and inconvenience. Wearable cams are portable audio-video recording devices worn as name tag forms or around the neck. Mr. Kim (31), working at a district office, said about the wearable cam, "It is neither used around me nor have I tried it," adding, "Because of its shape, I probably will not use it in the future." The complicated usage procedure, such as having to immediately transmit recorded audio files to a database, was also cited as a source of inconvenience.

There is also criticism that the mandatory 'prior notification' before recording could lead to conflicts. Some local governments have revised their response guidelines to remove the prior notification before recording, but even within the same local government, some districts still require recording notification. Park Jung-bae, spokesperson for the National Public Officials Labor Union, said, "In one district office, the wearable cam is just hanging like a 'decoration,'" adding, "If you notify the complainant about the recording, it could lead to fights, and that is an inconvenient issue."

A survey conducted among 1,873 members of the National City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Union showed low satisfaction with the equipment compared to its distribution. 17.8% responded that they "received the portable audio-video recording equipment including wearable cams but are dissatisfied," nearly twice the 9.3% who said they "received it and find it useful." Legislative researcher Lim Jun-bae suggested, "Procedures that limit the use of equipment should be simplified, and an atmosphere where it can actually be utilized should be created."

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated that it is promoting improvements in on-site usability, including revising the enforcement decree to allow 'full recording' without prior notification. A ministry official said, "The enforcement decree is expected to pass the Cabinet meeting by the end of this month," but regarding procedures such as managing recording files, "Since we must comply with the Personal Information Protection Act, simplifying procedures is not immediately easy."

Public officials emphasized that spreading social awareness about punishing malicious complainants is important. Spokesperson Park said, "The fundamental measure is to socially spread the awareness that those who make malicious complaints or cause injury to public officials will face severe punishment," and stressed, "Government agencies need to increase public relations activities more."

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