Minister Sang-min Lee Visits Frontline Police Stations... "Not Trying to Control Police Authority"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who is proactively leading police control efforts, is receiving guidance from Baeyong-seok, Chief of Mapo Police Station, before a meeting with frontline police officers at the Hongik Police Substation, Mapo Police Station, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 1st.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] On the afternoon of the 1st, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, visited the Hongik Police Substation in Mapo-gu, Seoul, saying, "This does not mean a new control over police power is being established." The minister's visit to the substation on this day was known as a move to listen to on-site opinions amid ongoing police opposition over the Ministry's so-called establishment of a 'Police Bureau.'

At around 2:30 p.m., Minister Lee visited the Hongik Police Substation to directly explain the contents of the police system improvement plan being promoted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and to hear opinions from the field. He said, "The newly established organization will support the faithful execution of the senior personnel recommendation rights and the agenda submission rights to the National Police Commission, which are granted to the Minister of the Interior and Safety under the Police Act, etc." Regarding concerns about the infringement of the independence of the police organization, the minister said, "(The new organization) will not perform the budget, organizational functions, or inspection and audit functions of the National Police Agency," and added, "The law is structured so that no one, including the Minister of the Interior and Safety or the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, can influence individual case investigations."

Minister Lee also refuted the criticism that this move is a return to the days when the police were directly controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the predecessor of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. He explained, "31 years ago, the Security Headquarters of the Ministry of Home Affairs had an organization at the level of 12 divisions and directly carried out security duties, but the newly established organization is a single unit that supports the legal functions of the Minister of the Interior and Safety." He continued, "We will carefully review your opinions and reflect them in policy if necessary," and said, "We will also strive to break the monopoly structure of senior positions held by graduates of the Korean National Police University, improve treatment, reform the rank retirement system, and strengthen investigative expertise."

The minister stated, "There is a need to command and supervise the police, whose authority has increased due to the adjustment of investigative rights between the prosecution and the police," and announced, "We announced the police system improvement plan, which focuses on creating a police affairs organization within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and establishing command rules for the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, on the 27th of last month and will promptly implement it." It is not unusual for the Minister of the Interior and Safety to visit frontline police substations for encouragement. During the Moon Jae-in administration, ministers Jeon Hae-cheol, Jin Young, and Kim Boo-kyum visited local police substations during holidays such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok for encouragement, and during the Park Geun-hye administration, ministers Jung Jong-seop and Hong Yoon-sik also visited police stations in island areas to hear voices from the field.

However, this visit by Minister Lee has sparked police opposition, especially since it took place amid fierce controversy over 'police control' following the announcement of the police system improvement plan, and notably, the meeting requested by Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong with the minister did not materialize. Commissioner Kim has currently expressed his intention to resign.