Sangmin Lee: "Police Union's Group Actions Like Shaving Heads Are Political Acts... Not Representative"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is wearing a mask on the 5th while heading to the National Police Commission meeting room in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min recently condemned the police workplace council's collective actions such as shaving their heads and fasting in protest against the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's establishment of a new police organization as "political acts."

On the 5th, before attending the National Police Commission's extraordinary meeting to review the proposal for the appointment of the next Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, Minister Lee emphasized in response to reporters' questions asking if he viewed the frontline police's opposition as a political act, "It is not the frontline police's opposition but the workplace council's collective action," adding, "It seems to be a political act riding on the claims of some opposition parties." He continued, "The so-called frontline opposition might stem from a lack of accurate understanding of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's establishment of the new police organization," and added, "Moreover, the workplace council members should be fully aware of these details, but instead of conveying them accurately, they distort the information, which is quite political."

When asked if he had any intention to engage in dialogue with the workplace council, Minister Lee replied, "Isn't direct democracy better than indirect democracy?" and said, "I don't think the workplace council represents everyone." Recently, Minister Lee began visiting police stations nationwide, starting with local police substations and precincts, to listen to the voices of frontline police officers. Regarding the appointment of Yoon Hee-geun, Deputy Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, as the first Commissioner General under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, Minister Lee explained, "The new Commissioner General was selected primarily based on leadership qualities capable of encompassing the entire police force and having trust within the organization."

Minister Lee dismissed claims of a 'power game' within the ruling party regarding the appointment of the Commissioner General, stating, "That is completely untrue and inconsistent with the facts, as if there had been a reversal of personnel decisions." When asked whether the candidates for Commissioner General expressed concerns or sympathy regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's establishment of the new police organization, he replied, "Rather than forming a consensus, there was simply no major disagreement."

Minister Lee is scheduled to hold a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong in the afternoon to announce the proposal for the Commissioner General appointment. Afterwards, he will visit the Sejong Southern Police Station to listen to frontline police officers' opinions on police system improvements and convey his stance. He also visited the Hongik Police Substation in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 1st and has stated his intention to meet frontline police officers in the Yeongnam and Honam regions this week.