Hometown-exclusion rule applied across the board in sweeping transfer of 412 superintendent-level officers
The Korean National Police Agency on Tuesday replaced 118 of the country's 242 police station chiefs — nearly half — in a sweeping personnel reshuffle. The agency applied its hometown-exclusion rule, which bars officers from serving in their home regions, to station chief posts and key positions at provincial and metropolitan police agencies.
The agency carried out the second-half 2026 superintendent-level transfer reshuffle, covering a total of 385 positions.
"To strengthen fairness in police operations and restore public trust, we applied the hometown-exclusion rule across the board to the positions of civil complaints and audit rights officers at provincial and metropolitan police agencies, key investigation division chiefs and police station chiefs," the agency said. It added that specialists with relevant experience had been assigned to investigation units, civil complaints and audit rights officer posts, and women and youth division chief positions — with an emphasis on professional competence in each field — to better protect socially vulnerable groups and crime victims.
The agency said that with the superintendent-level reshuffle marking the conclusion of this year's second-half personnel changes, it would continue to reform police operations to embed the revised criminal justice system in the field and strengthen protections for women, children and crime victims.
arin@heraldcorp.com
