SEOUL: Acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung on Monday (July 20) pledged sweeping reforms as controversy continued over allegations of a botched investigation and collusion among police officers in the case involving suspect Jang Yoon-gi.
“The police will take this case as an opportunity to overhaul their investigative practices with a deep sense of urgency and do their utmost to regain public trust,” Yoo said during a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul.
The briefing came amid mounting public criticism over the police investigation into Jang, who was arrested for allegedly killing a teenage girl in Gwangju in May.
Investigators allegedly leaked information about the investigation to Jang’s father, who is a serving police officer, and failed to secure key evidence.
Addressing criticism of the reform package announced last week and growing calls for senior police officials to resign, Yoo said he would “faithfully carry out his duties without clinging to his position.”
The proposed reforms include a plan to launch an investigative reform task force by the end of July. The task force will consist of seven to 10 members, with outside experts accounting for more than half of the panel.
It will discuss personnel reforms aimed at preventing improper ties between officers and local communities, as well as improvements to procedures for handling cases involving socially vulnerable people.
An internal affairs investigation unit under the National Office of Investigation is also set to begin operations soon.
The unit will investigate serious duty-related crimes allegedly committed by police personnel, regardless of rank.
The reform package also outlined plans to create another oversight body under the Korean National Police Commission, comprising about 100 civilian investigators who will examine alleged human rights violations and misconduct in police investigations.
The body’s establishment, Yoo said, would require revisions to the Police Act.
A related amendment has already been submitted to the National Assembly, and the police will present their views during the legislative process, he added.
“Strengthening the role of the Korean National Police Commission is one of the current administration’s policy goals,” Yoo said.
“For the investigative body to operate effectively, it must be designed so that its findings can lead to recommendations for personnel or disciplinary action.”
Yoo also said the agency would gather opinions from rank-and-file officers before moving ahead with the Interior Ministry’s plans to expand the police rotation system.
“As the issue is placing a significant burden on officers in the field, support measures must be prepared alongside any rotation policy,” he said. “Measures that can be implemented promptly will be introduced first, while the task force will discuss the details.”
Officers at the superintendent level are already subject to nationwide rotations, and some senior inspectors are also rotated. Yoo, however, acknowledged that applying the system across all ranks could create practical difficulties.
Official residences are currently provided to officers at the superintendent level or above when they are transferred under the rotation system.
Expanding the policy to lower-ranking officers would raise questions of fairness and require substantial additional funding.
The agency would seek a “reasonable plan” that both restores public trust and secures the support of officers, he added.
Regarding an internal inspection of Jang’s father, Yoo said the police would wait for the special investigation team’s final findings before concluding the inspection and deciding on follow-up measures. - The Korea Herald/ANN
