[Editor's note] For 45 years, the Korean National Police University has produced mid-level police officers. In that time, the social and political landscape has shifted dramatically, and the structure of criminal investigations has undergone sweeping changes. This series examines how the identity of the university's graduates — long seen as symbols of an elite police force — has evolved, and whether the institution is producing the leaders suited for a new era of criminal justice.

'Former-cop premium' emerges as new force in legal market

Police university alumni, other ex-officers flock to law firms

'More effective than ex-prosecutors,' some say — though others call it overstated

Police struggle with talent drain, seek solutions

The emblem of the Korean National Police University [Yonhap]
The emblem of the Korean National Police University [Yonhap]

"An attorney from the top investigative unit of the National Police University — the one who knows police language and the flow of investigations best." "A lawyer who actually did real investigations, straight from the Korean National Police Agency." "An attorney who stood at the very front line of police investigative command will be by your side."

These are the marketing slogans that law firms specializing in criminal cases have posted on their websites.

A "National Police University background" is emerging as a new selling point in the legal market. The shift comes as prosecutors are set to be reorganized into a prosecution office starting next month, stripping them of their direct investigative powers and expanding the role of police in handling criminal cases. As more lawyers put their police credentials front and center, at least one law firm has appeared whose entire roster of partner attorneys are National Police University alumni.

Among major law firms, Sejong was the quickest off the mark, launching a dedicated police team composed of former officers back in 2021. Kim & Chang has assembled a police response team led by former Gyeonggi Province Southern Police Agency Commissioner Choi Dong-hae and former Korean National Police Agency Deputy Commissioner Kim Gwi-chan, while Bae, Kim & Lee, Gwangjang and Yulchon have deployed not only former senior officers of provincial commissioner rank but also large numbers of attorneys with hands-on investigative experience.

What these lawyers share is an emphasis on the importance of responding to the initial police investigation. Because the direction of an entire case can be determined at the police stage — the very first step in any investigation — clients need the help of attorneys fluent in police investigative procedure and familiar with the inner workings of the institution, they argue.

In the legal district of Seocho-dong, word has spread that a "National Police University class number" has become what insiders call a "bankable credential." A lawyer who passed the bar on the eighth sitting said the combination of a police university background and a law license commands enormous fees. "There's a perception that police are a far more lobbying-friendly organization than prosecutors," the lawyer said, "so people say the premium actually exceeds what former prosecutors used to command." A lawyer who graduated from a Seoul law school and passed the bar on the sixth sitting said former police officers seem to be winning more clients these days. "The National Police University has a certain rarity to it, so wouldn't that make it a strong product?" the lawyer said.

Attorneys who are themselves National Police University alumni, however, see things somewhat differently. Attorney A, who left the force after completing the mandatory six-year service requirement, acknowledged that alumni ties among graduates are not loose, but added a caveat. "However, the work of a defense attorney dealing with police is not necessarily limited to dealing only with National Police University people, so there is an element of exaggeration in how the outside world sees it," the attorney said.

Attorney B, a member of the university's 20th class who enrolled in 2000, said the established legal hierarchy of former judges and prosecutors still dominates. "National Police University alumni seem to top out at around the level of the 'sixth bone' — the second-highest tier in the old Silla caste system," the attorney said.

According to admissions industry data, the number of National Police University alumni admitted to the country's 25 law schools rose from 72 in the 2022 academic year to 87 in 2023, 92 in 2024 and 91 in 2025. This year the figure dipped slightly to around 80, but alumni still account for 3.7 percent of all law school entrants nationwide.

A police officer who also holds a law license would seem to have room to apply that expertise on the investigative front lines. In practice, however, officers who obtain bar qualifications tend to look beyond the organization.

Data submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to the office of Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee showed that as of last year, 77 of the 288 serving police officers who hold law licenses — about 26 percent — were National Police University alumni. Officers hired through a separate bar-qualified recruitment track accounted for the largest share at 202, or 70 percent, followed by eight hired through the civil service examination track, at 2 percent, and one through the open competitive recruitment track for inspector rank, at 0.3 percent.

A senior police official said that because registering a law license in one's personnel file is not mandatory, there are likely additional license holders who have not been identified. "In practice, the organization is not making use of the legal expertise these people have, and police are separately recruiting lawyers through a special career track," the official said.

Ham Yun-seok, chief of the Boryeong Police Station and a member of the university's 15th class, argued in a paper published in the academic journal Police Science Research that National Police University graduates' decisions to pursue law school reflect not personal ambition alone but a complex combination of factors: the rigidity of the internal promotion structure, a desire to develop individual expertise, and long-term career considerations. While the overhaul of the criminal justice system has raised the profile of police, his analysis suggests that internal organizational conditions are also driving people to leave.

Data from the Korean National Police Agency on the recruitment pathways of serving police officers who hold law licenses, as of last year [Office of Rep. Kwon Young-jin]
Data from the Korean National Police Agency on the recruitment pathways of serving police officers who hold law licenses, as of last year [Office of Rep. Kwon Young-jin]
Data from the Korean National Police Agency on the number of serving National Police University alumni who hold law licenses, broken down by rank [Office of Rep. Kwon Young-jin]
Data from the Korean National Police Agency on the number of serving National Police University alumni who hold law licenses, broken down by rank [Office of Rep. Kwon Young-jin]

Regardless of how individual attorneys assess the trend, former police officers acting as legal representatives have become a regular presence in high-profile cases currently under police investigation. The spouse of independent lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, who is under police investigation on charges including breach of trust, and former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung, who is standing trial in a political donation case, have both retained attorneys with police backgrounds.

An investigator at a Gangnam-area police station in Seoul said a significant number of the lawyers who sit in on suspect interviews are National Police University alumni. "Some of them are on close personal terms with the team leader or section chief handling the case, so you find yourself having to be careful about how you conduct yourself," the investigator said.

Police's investigative monopoly puts 'revolving door' in the spotlight

Dissenting voices say police university should be developed further, not curtailed

Some lawmakers within the Democratic Party of Korea who are leading discussions on police reform are keeping a close eye on the revolving-door phenomenon. Rep. Kim Nam-hee, who heads the Democratic Party's police reform task force, said in a phone interview that former police officers are commanding top-dollar fees right now because police have become the final authority on investigations and can determine the outcome of cases. "We are looking at proposals to create a structure that can check and balance that," she said.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Seong-ho said that because police now handle investigations from start to finish without any checks, the costs borne by parties involved in criminal proceedings have increased. "The revolving door is part of that," he said, adding that mutual oversight among investigative agencies must be restored to curb the concentration of authority.

The former-police-officer premium is not limited to National Police University alumni. Former officers without a university or law degree background are also finding roles in the private legal market. A recent case came to light involving a retired senior officer who took a position as a specialist adviser at a major law firm and used his police connections to solicit business. The man, identified as Byeon, 64, who retired at the rank of superintendent, was not a licensed attorney but secured two cases that brought the firm 310 million won ($228,000) in fees.

Byeon was indicted on charges of improper solicitation, and the Ulsan District Court recently sentenced him to a suspended prison term. Court documents show he told suspects, "The investigative team leaders in charge of your case are people I used to manage," and "If I say something, you'll be investigated without detention," in order to induce them to hire him. He also said, "I fought tooth and nail to get the case dropped," and "I met with that team on Saturday and took care of it."

Law firms' competition to recruit former police officers accelerated from 2021, when the Moon Jae-in administration adjusted the division of investigative authority between police and prosecutors. Police were granted the power to close cases at the first-investigation stage and to conclude matters without referring them to prosecutors. The number of applications by police civil servants seeking approval to move to law firms has risen every year since — from 10 in 2020 to 50 in 2021, 49 in 2022 and 54 in 2023.

Lee Young-cheol, head of the Korean National Police Agency's autonomous police planning unit, said at a National Assembly forum on Aug. 31 that a significant number of officers use their days off and vacation time to attend law school, or simply resign once they gain admission. He noted that many are leaving the organization to obtain law licenses. The agency is reviewing measures to retain legal talent — including introducing a special sabbatical leave provision for law school enrollment — but has yet to reach a decision.


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