First police reform public forum held Thursday

A police reform public forum is held at the Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Thursday. [Korean National Police Agency]
A police reform public forum is held at the Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Thursday. [Korean National Police Agency]

Sharp criticism of the police poured out Thursday at the first public forum on police reform, held at the Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The forum was organized as part of an internal overhaul effort following a string of recently exposed cases of shoddy police investigations.

Speakers were quick to call out a lack of professional expertise within the force. Jeon Ji-hye, a member of the grievance committee of the Korean Women Lawyers Association, said investigation is now a core police function, not a secondary one. "As a lawyer, I often feel that police investigators lack basic legal knowledge — including criminal procedure law — and a grounding in civil law," she said. She added that she hoped police investigators would develop at least enough legal knowledge and capability to review the legal principles of the cases they handle on their own.

Jeon also said the practice of soliciting favors from police in connection with cases quietly persists. "There are still stories going around that, at certain police stations, you need to give someone money or treat them to a round of golf to get a case handled smoothly," she said. "Please give the public firm confidence that the police, at least, have rooted out hospitality culture and preferential treatment of former officials."

Acting Commissioner General Kim Jong-cheol of the Korean National Police Agency responded by acknowledging the criticism. "Investigation is the most fundamental of all police duties," he said. "Despite efforts to strengthen investigative capacity both before and after the redistribution of investigative authority between prosecutors and police, doubts about that capacity still linger — and as a member of the police leadership, I am deeply sorry to the public for that."

He added that the agency was aware of its shortcomings despite years of effort. "We will work tirelessly to earn the public's trust that any investigator, anywhere in the country, will conduct investigations responsibly and fairly," he said.

The forum also heard concerns from victims about investigative gaps created by the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigative authority. Participants called for a separate channel through which victims could directly challenge police decisions not to refer cases to prosecutors.

Jin Yang-hee, co-chair of the National Council of Family Violence Counseling Centers, said victims of relationship-based crimes she encounters in the field strongly feel that their avenues for redress have effectively closed since prosecutors lost their supplementary investigative authority. "Above all, police investigations must be conducted properly, which means investigators need thorough training on the relevant laws and systems," she said.

Jo Jin-gyeong, head of the Teen Girls' Human Rights Center, said that even when objections are filed after a case is closed without charges, they rarely lead to active follow-up investigations, making it hard to see any practical value in the system. "It would be helpful to have a channel where victims can raise concerns directly with the police about a decision not to refer a case — without having to go through prosecutors," she said.

Acting Commissioner General Kim said listening to the public first was the essential first step toward reform. "Hearing from citizens — the sovereigns of this country — about the moments when trust in the police broke down is the first step in reform," he said. "I believe we must listen most seriously to the voices of those who feel fear and hardship in the face of crime."


arin@heraldcorp.com