Acting police chief reaffirms efforts for investigative reform
Kim Jong-chul, acting head of the National Police Agency, speaks during a meeting with investigators at a police station in northeastern Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Korea's acting police chief on Monday reaffirmed efforts for investigative reform, including possibly increasing the number of investigators, in the wake of high-profile cases of police's alleged misconduct.
The police last week launched a dedicated body to spearhead sweeping organizational reforms, following the recent revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that will transfer all investigative power to police from the prosecution.
The move, however, also comes amid recent scrutiny over the cases of alleged misconduct, including an improperly closed missing person case on the southern island of Jeju.
"There were faults made (at the scene) and also the problem of the system that failed to identify them, as well as the leadership's responsibility, which (I) take seriously and will correct," Kim Jong-chul, acting head of the National Police Agency, said in a briefing.
The missing person case on Jeju sparked public outcry after a police officer was found to have closed the case without confirming the safety of a missing woman. Her body was found last month, about three months after she was first reported missing in May.
Kim said the agency is considering increasing the number of police investigators, if necessary, to reduce their workload, noting a single investigator handled 134 cases on average last year.
It is also looking into using artificial intelligence (AI) or employing retired police officers for simple, repetitive tasks, he said.
The remarks came a day after ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok called for stronger police reform in a meeting with government officials.
The acting police chief said the police have yet to find any fraudulently closed missing person cases in their reexamination of around 310,000 such cases over the past three years following public criticism for the police's handling of the Jeju case.
The police have so far examined around 128,000 cases and plan to complete reviewing all of them by November.