Cases flood in from prosecutors as supplementary investigation requests surge

Acting chief Kim vows active support for investigative units

Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, visits Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Sunday to inspect field operations following the enforcement of the revised Code of Criminal Procedure. [Korean National Police Agency]
Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, visits Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Sunday to inspect field operations following the enforcement of the revised Code of Criminal Procedure. [Korean National Police Agency]

Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said the force is "responding without disruption to the changes in the new criminal justice system," marking one month since the revised Code of Criminal Procedure — centered on the abolition of the prosecution office — took effect.

The Korean National Police Agency said Monday that Kim visited Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Sunday to check whether the new investigative procedures introduced when the revised law took effect on Oct. 2 were running smoothly on the ground.

"Please work harder to conduct swift and fair investigations so that the public can positively feel the changes brought by the new criminal justice system," Kim said. "The Korean National Police Agency will also listen closely to voices from the field and do its utmost to ensure that the dedication of investigators is properly recognized and rewarded."

The visit was arranged to encourage field investigators whose responsibilities have grown under the new procedures and to directly assess the difficulties they face and the support they need.

According to the agency, police have taken over 1,954 cases that prosecutors had flagged for arrest warrants and are carrying out necessary follow-up measures, including issuing warrants and placing suspects on wanted lists. Cases that prosecutors had been actively investigating are also being transferred to police in stages. The workload has been compounded by a sharp rise in requests for supplementary investigations — police received 8,995 such requests over the past month, up about 60 percent from the same period last year.

"For the new criminal justice system to take root successfully, field investigators must be able to take pride in their work and focus on their duties," Kim said. "We will actively support them by guaranteeing authority and working conditions commensurate with their responsibilities, and by making investigative units the most desirable place to work."

Kim also offered words of encouragement, saying: "Even as the criminal justice system undergoes sweeping change, you — who give your best through the night and on holidays so that the public can always turn to you in times of need — are the true backbone of police investigations."


arin@heraldcorp.com