Police Introduce World's First International Standards for Crime Scene Investigation: "Enhancing Forensic Reliability"

International Standards Applied to Evidence Collection and Preservation Procedures
Pilot Certification at Seoul Police Agency, Nationwide Expansion Planned

In an effort to enhance the reliability of forensic science, the police will introduce an international standard certification system for crime scene investigation procedures, marking the first such initiative in the world.

On May 19, the National Police Agency announced that it will implement the "Forensic Science International Standard Certification System," which applies international standards to crime scene investigation procedures. These standards were established by the Forensic Science Committee (TC 272) under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and regulate processes such as the recognition, recording, collection, transportation, and storage of evidence.

Seodaemun-gu Police Agency, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

To ensure fairness and objectivity in the certification process, the agency has also established the "Forensic Science International Standard Certification Committee," which is composed primarily of external experts. Members of the committee include: Hee Sun Jeong, Distinguished Professor at Sungkyunkwan University and former Director of the National Forensic Service; Chang Won Pyo, Director of the Institute of Criminal Science and Special Professor at Hallym University’s Department of Convergence Forensic Science; Ji Young Yoon, a researcher in criminal and legal policy; Seung Goo Kang, advisory member at the Korea Productivity Center Certification Institute; and Kangseok Lee, Senior Superintendent and Director of the Forensic Science Planning Division. The committee is responsible for reviewing certification standards and determining whether each city and provincial police agency qualifies for certification.

This certification system will operate by assessing whether the forensic science departments of city and provincial police agencies comply with international standards in their on-site investigation procedures. Over the past two years, the National Police Agency analyzed the differences between international standard requirements and internal regulations to establish evaluation criteria and has trained forensic investigators with more than ten years of experience as certification auditors.

On the same day, the National Police Agency also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS), an accreditation body designated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two organizations plan to cooperate in establishing a conformity assessment framework for forensic science international standards and to provide consultation on operating the certification system. This year, a pilot certification will be conducted for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, with plans to gradually expand to city and provincial police agencies nationwide.

The National Police Agency has already established a quality management system in line with international standards, having obtained recognition from KOLAS (ISO/IEC 17025) in fingerprint examination and certifications for records management, information security, and personal information protection management systems (ISO 30301, 27001, and 27701).

Yu Jaeseong, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated, "By applying international standards to the stage of on-site investigation, Korea's police forensic science system will be internationally recognized as being of the highest standard."

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