Law school at police university proposed to build in-house legal talent

Political circles drive debate; police say no formal review underway

Kim Jong-cheol, nominee for Korean National Police Agency commissioner general, arrives at the agency's headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]
Kim Jong-cheol, nominee for Korean National Police Agency commissioner general, arrives at the agency's headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Yonhap]

Kim Jong-cheol, nominee for Korean National Police Agency commissioner general, said Monday that the agency has never officially reviewed or pursued a proposal to establish a law school at the National Police University, a plan that has recently stirred debate in political circles.

In written responses provided to reporters that day, Kim said he believes "various reform measures for the police talent development system need to be considered," even as he distanced the agency from the proposal.

The idea of attaching a law school to the National Police University has been raised as a way to stem the flow of serving officers leaving the force to obtain legal qualifications and to develop in-house legal expertise within the police organization.

According to admissions industry data, 80 graduates of the National Police University enrolled in law schools across the country this year, accounting for 3.7 percent of all law school entrants nationwide. The number of police university alumni entering law schools has risen consistently — from 72 in the 2022 academic year to 87 in 2023, 92 in 2024 and 91 in 2025.

Calls to raise the proportion of licensed legal professionals within the police force have grown out of efforts to strengthen investigative capacity under a new criminal justice framework. Proponents argue that expanded police authority must be matched by greater legal expertise.

The Police Investigation Reform Committee for Restoring Public Trust had earlier recommended that the police hire more than 100 licensed attorneys as civil servants each year for the next five years and assign them to investigative units.

Park Yong-dae, director of the judicial center at Lawyers for a Democratic Society and a member of the reform committee, said at a background briefing on Oct. 6 that "one of the capabilities police need to strengthen most urgently is legal capacity." He added that only 311 officers currently hold attorney licenses — less than 1 percent of the total police force — meaning at least 500 more need to be hired.


arin@heraldcorp.com