Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
PM suggests external reform body to overhaul police after Jeju death
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting aimed at improving the user interfaces and overall user experience of government websites at Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook hinted Thursday at establishing a special external body to pursue structural and governance reforms within the police following serious failures in the case of a woman missing for months before she was found dead on Jeju Island this week.
“Internal reform will, of course, be necessary within the police, but if the body is intended to examine the organization as a whole, I do not think it would be appropriate to establish it within the police,” Han said during a press briefing at Government Complex Seoul.
“Such a body tasked with reviewing the entire organization should probably be established outside the police,” she added.
President Lee Jae Myung instructed the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this week to prepare a police reform body after a series of missing person cases on Jeju exposed serious problems in police procedures, supervision and organizational culture.
The controversy centered in particular on the case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who disappeared in Jeju’s Hallim area in May.
A police officer allegedly closed her case without confirming her safety or whereabouts, falsely telling the person who reported her missing that he had been in contact with Jang.
The officer is also suspected of deleting information related to Jang from an internal missing person profiling system.
A body believed to be Jang’s was discovered Monday, 104 days after the initial report was made to police.
The prime minister, however, said that the incident should not be used to draw the conclusion that investigations are always properly conducted by prosecutors but mishandled by police.
“I do not believe that everything will be handled properly if prosecutors conduct investigations, or that problems will inevitably arise if the police conduct them,” Han said, reiterating a position she expressed during a National Assembly committee meeting.
Her remarks came amid renewed controversy over the government’s prosecution reform, which will abolish prosecutors’ direct and supplementary investigative authority and give police greater responsibility for criminal investigations.