5 Cyclic Courses... Obstacle Running and Rescue Operations
Pass/Fail Judged by Same Standards for Men and Women
Priority Implementation for Police University Students and Officer Candidates
Full Implementation by 2026
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] From 2023, physical fitness tests for integrated male and female recruitment are expected to be conducted in the selection process for police university students and officer candidates. The police plan to fully implement this in all police officer recruitment processes by 2026.
According to the National Police Agency on the 22nd, the "Introduction Plan for Integrated Male and Female Police Recruitment Physical Fitness Test" was deliberated and approved at the National Police Commission meeting the day before. According to this improvement plan, the physical fitness test in the police recruitment process will be conducted as a circuit-type test with the same standards for men and women, using a Pass/Fail system (only pass or fail is determined).
The circuit-type physical fitness test course consists mainly of five courses: ▲obstacle running ▲pole hurdle jumping ▲pushing and pulling ▲rescue ▲trigger pulling. During all test events, candidates wear a vest weighing 4.2 kg, which is the weight of the equipment carried during police field duties.
First, the obstacle running course is about 340 meters long, consisting of obstacles such as mats, stairs, and hurdles, and is run six times. On the second start, candidates must jump over a 1.5-meter-high barrier. The pole hurdle jumping involves lying down and getting up, placing hands on a 0.9-meter-high pole hurdle, jumping over it, and lying down again, repeated three times back and forth. The pushing and pulling course requires moving in a semicircle three times each while pulling a 32 kg resistance device and pushing it.
The rescue course requires dragging a 72 kg mannequin for 10.7 meters. The trigger pulling course involves placing the muzzle inside a 23 cm diameter circle and pulling the trigger 16 times with the dominant hand and 15 times with the opposite hand. A police official explained, "This was derived by analyzing the physical fitness test methods of the New York Police Department (NYPD) and Canadian police through research projects," adding, "It is a method where candidates continuously perform five courses suitable for domestic security conditions and are judged Pass or Fail based on whether they pass within the time limit."
The police have been promoting the introduction of integrated male and female recruitment physical fitness tests following the 2005 recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission to abolish gender-segregated recruitment, and the 2017 recommendation by the Police Reform Committee to abolish gender-segregated recruitment and develop unified physical standards without gender distinction. The police explained that this plan is the result of multifaceted reviews of physical fitness test methods that are highly job-appropriate and applicable to both men and women, based on research projects and measurements of new recruits since 2019. Additionally, considering the stability of personnel policies, the police will concurrently introduce a "Gender Equality Recruitment Target System" aiming for 15%.
The police will first implement this improvement plan in 2023 for police university students and police administration department special recruitment, and fully implement it in 2026. Separately from recruitment, they plan to strengthen graduation requirements such as physical evaluations at the Central Police Academy to dispel concerns about field response capabilities. Regarding the phased implementation, the police explained, "Police recruitment policy is a critical issue directly linked to public safety, and considering predictability and preparation time for examinees, we decided to gradually expand from 2023," adding, "The circuit-type physical fitness test is the first of its kind domestically, requiring time to establish social infrastructure, and we plan to provide practice opportunities for examinees by prioritizing installation and opening of measurement equipment at police stations."
The police plan to prepare a revision of the "Police Officer Appointment Decree" containing detailed contents as early as next month, proceed with the National Police Commission's deliberation and approval, and then carry out legislative notice and other amendment procedures.
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