Police launch task force to pursue sweeping organizational reforms
Summary
The Korean National Police Agency launched a dedicated reform task force on Wednesday to overhaul its organization before a new criminal justice system takes effect next month. The task force will gather public and frontline officer feedback, hold hearings nationwide through November, and unveil its progress in mid-December. The revised Criminal Procedure Act takes effect on Oct. 2 and will transfer direct investigative authority from prosecutors to police. Public distrust has also risen after police mishandling allegations in Jeju and Gwangju.
Key Facts
- The task force has 15 members divided into two teams and is led by an officer with the rank of inspector general.
- Public hearings will be held across the country through November under the theme Let’s listen to the people on the path of police reform.
- The KNPA said the opinions collected through hearings and an online feedback channel will be immediately incorporated into reform measures.
- The revised Criminal Procedure Act takes effect on Oct. 2 and strips prosecutors of authority to conduct direct investigations, including supplementary investigations.
- The article cites a Jeju case in which a missing woman’s case was wrongfully closed without confirming her safety and a separate allegation in Gwangju that investigative materials were leaked to a murder suspect’s father.
Kim Jong-chul, third from left, the acting head of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), and other police officials unveil the signboard of the police reform task force at the KNPA headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) on Wednesday launched a dedicated body to spearhead sweeping organizational reforms ahead of next month's implementation of a new criminal justice system that will transfer investigative authority from prosecutors to police.
The police reform task force will seek to overhaul the police's organizational culture and operational systems based on feedback from the public and frontline officers, the KNPA said.
The task force will hold public hearings across the country through November under the theme "Let's listen to the people on the path of police reform," while also operating an online channel to gather public feedback.
The opinions collected will be immediately incorporated into reform measures, the KNPA said, adding the progress and future plans will be unveiled in mid-December.
The task force comprises 15 members divided into two teams and is led by an officer with the rank of inspector general.
The revised Criminal Procedure Act takes effect on Oct. 2, stripping the prosecution of its authority to conduct direct investigations, including supplementary investigations. Prosecutors will instead be allowed to request judicial police officers to carry out supplementary investigations.
Public outcry has also grown after a Jeju police officer was found to have wrongfully closed the case of a missing woman without confirming her safety in May, a move that may have contributed to her death.
A separate allegation that police in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, had leaked investigative materials to a murder suspect's father, who is also a police officer in the city, deepened public distrust of the police.
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