The Police Chief's Pursuit, No Response from the Minister of the Interior... The Frustrating Current State of the Police

Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Sung-pil] It was confirmed on the 23rd that Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, requested a meeting with Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but has not received a call. Earlier, on the 21st, after the announcement of police control by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Police System Advisory Committee, Commissioner Kim proposed a meeting to Minister Lee’s side, who had departed for a business trip to Georgia, USA. Since then, Commissioner Kim has not scheduled any external appointments and has been waiting for a response from Minister Lee’s side, but it is known that he has not received any reply for two days. On the morning of the 23rd, on his way to work, Commissioner Kim said, "Minister Lee’s schedule seems to be quite busy due to business trips, etc. We are trying our best to have a meeting as soon as possible."

Many view the series of situations, which appear as a one-sided courtship by Commissioner Kim, as a reflection of the frustrating current state of the police. On the 16th, Commissioner Kim posted on the police internal network ‘Hyunjang Hwalryeokso’ (Field Vitality Center), stating, "When the (Ministry of the Interior and Safety Advisory Committee’s) specific plan is announced, as the representative of 140,000 police officers, I will clearly express our agency’s position and make every effort to ensure that the honor and pride of the staff are not damaged." He also said, "I will never cling to my position and will become a commissioner who stands proudly in history." However, the reality is that despite showing such intentions and will, the opportunity to convey them is not even being given. Inside the police, there are even self-deprecating voices saying, "Why would the Minister of the Interior and Safety want to meet the Police Commissioner?"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Sang-min Lee and Commissioner General of the National Police Agency Chang-ryong Kim (back) [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety began ‘implementation’ the day after announcing the advisory committee’s recommendations by reporting them to the minister. It seems that the ministry is accelerating efforts to strengthen police control, including establishing a so-called ‘Police Bureau’ within the ministry to handle police-related affairs such as personnel, and enacting command rules for the Minister of the Interior and Safety to direct the Police Commissioner. The advisory committee, formed simultaneously with Minister Lee’s inauguration in mid-last month, held four meetings in just one month to issue recommendations, and the ministry is moving swiftly to the implementation phase.

Along with the establishment of the Police Bureau, a sudden personnel reshuffle of senior police officials has sparked strong opposition within the police. Especially on the day the advisory committee’s recommendations were announced, the sudden personnel changes led to complaints such as, "Is this a message to obey without questioning the police control measures?" There are harsh voices saying, "It looks like a disciplinary personnel move to create dogs that blindly obey power." There is also dissatisfaction over the fact that the personnel changes were announced late in the afternoon, and the officials had to report to their new posts the very next morning without even having a handover ceremony.

Seo Young-kyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who served as the Chairperson of the Public Administration and Security Committee in the first half of the 21st National Assembly, visited the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency on the 23rd to condemn the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's police control and to urge the neutrality of the police. Photo by the National Assembly Press Corps

Moreover, this personnel reshuffle was accompanied by an unprecedented situation where the assignments of seven senior police officials were changed about two hours after being announced. The National Police Agency explained, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent a personnel plan that was not final," and called it "a mistake caused by poor communication," but it is hard to readily accept that a major personnel plan coordinated in advance between the police, the ministry, and the Presidential Office was flawed. One police official said, "Honestly, I don’t know where the truth lies," but added, "I can’t shake the suspicion that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is watching how the Police Commissioner, who has become a paper tiger, responds to this personnel mishap."

Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the controversy over the reversal of the senior police officials’ personnel on the morning of the 23rd while heading to his office in Yongsan, calling it "a very serious breach of national discipline, or a ridiculous mistake that cannot be made by a public official." President Yoon said, "The police internally recommended personnel to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but they were simply assigned to posts," adding, "This is an absurd matter and could be considered a breach of national discipline." Members of the Democratic Party of Korea, who were formerly part of the Administrative Safety Committee, visited the National Police Agency on the same morning to meet with Commissioner Kim and other leadership regarding the controversy. Before the meeting, they criticized President Yoon’s remarks on the breach of national discipline, saying, "It seems intended to shift blame onto the police."