Can a stronger police force be properly controlled?

 

Chang Se-jeong
 
The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo. 
 
 
 
The National Police Agency carried out senior personnel reshuffles last Friday, appointing new chiefs for Busan, North Gyeongsang and South Chungcheong, posts that had remained vacant due to suspensions and pending assignments linked to the December 2024 martial law controversy. But 10 months into the Lee Jae Myung administration, a new commissioner general — the leader of the 130,000-strong national police force — has yet to be appointed.
 

Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung delivers a welcome address at the 2026 Korea-U.S. Joint International Symposium on Counter-Terrorism at the Inspire Resort in Jung District, Incheon, on April 6. [NEWS1]

 
Since former Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho was impeached over his alleged involvement in the martial law case, the agency has been led by acting chiefs. Deputy Commissioner Lee Ho-young served in an acting capacity for six months before stepping down, and since June of last year, Deputy Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung has held the post. An acting chief, however, differs fundamentally from a formally appointed commissioner general, whose two-year term is guaranteed following a confirmation hearing by the National Assembly.
 
There are ample reasons to appoint a permanent commissioner general without delay. Timely appointments are needed to uphold authority and foster responsibility commensurate with expanding powers. Under the current system, organizational discipline has weakened, and policy execution lacks force.
 
People are already concerned with public safety, with cases involving delayed responses and mishandling drawing public criticism. For example, a recent stalking-related murder in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, exposed failures in the police’s initial response and method of protecting the victim. In another case, police declined to disclose the identity of a woman who allegedly murdered two men with drugs. Additional crimes were uncovered only after prosecutors disclosed her identity.
 

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Political turbulence, including martial law and impeachment proceedings, has also raised doubts about the police’s neutrality. The case of Rep. Lee Choon-suak, who resigned as chair of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee last August over proxy stock trading allegations, remains unresolved despite calls for reinvestigation. Probes into Rep. Kim Byung-kee have likewise drawn criticism for possible political bias.
 
The police are now entering a period of structural change. With the Democratic Party moving to abolish the prosecution service, police powers are becoming more concentrated than before democratization. The jurisdiction of the proposed serious crimes investigation office has been reduced from nine categories to six, meaning politically sensitive cases — such as elections, public officials and major disasters — will fall under police responsibility. This shift presents both opportunity and risk.
 
The 2021 adjustment of investigative authority eliminated prosecutors’ supervisory power over police, weakening oversight. Following the June 3 local elections, calls to amend the Criminal Procedure Act and abolish prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority may intensify. If the prosecution service is dissolved and its role is limited to indictment, the authority of the police will surpass that of prosecutors.
 

The National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun District, Seoul [YONHAP]

 
Preventing the emergence of an unchecked “super police” requires stronger institutional safeguards. Measures are needed to reinforce political neutrality and investigative independence, and the transformation of the National Police Commission into an independent body with authority over policy, personnel and budget should all be considered.
 
Since 2021, all three heads of the National Office of Investigation have come from within the police. Although the position is formally open to external candidates, the system remains effectively closed and should be revised. With the National Intelligence Service no longer holding domestic intelligence authority, the influence of intelligence police has grown, making oversight more urgent.
 
Strengthening autonomous police roles in everyday public safety could help distribute authority. The investigative independence of the police, which may be more vulnerable than that of prosecutors in the face of political power such as the National Assembly, must be safeguarded. Only when checks and balances function properly can the police serve the public rather than those in power.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.