[The Police File]Police Bureau Sparks Another Controversy Following Its Establishment

On the 2nd, the official launch date of the Police Bureau, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (left), visited the Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and shook hands with Kim Soon-ho, Director of the Police Bureau. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kim Sun-ho, the inaugural Director of the Police Bureau, faces spreading 'informer' allegations

Rapid promotion after special recruitment... The person involved calls it "a story like fiction"

Ethical flaws in the head of a powerful organization are a fatal blow

The Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, launched after many twists and turns, has become embroiled in another controversy. The background of Kim Sun-ho, the first Director of the Police Bureau and Police Superintendent General, joining the police has become an issue. There are suspicions that he was specially recruited into the police in recognition of his past role as an informer within a pro-North Korean organization. Kim, a 1981 entrant at Sungkyunkwan University, participated in protests as a university student and was arrested by the police, then forcibly enlisted in the military in 1983. After discharge, he joined and was active in the labor movement group Incheon-Bucheon Democratic Workers' Association (Innohoe) in February 1988. According to Innohoe members, Kim operated under the alias 'Kim Bong-jin' and even served as the district committee chairman, the local organizational leader. Around April 1989, he suddenly disappeared.

Around this time, the police launched a large-scale investigation into Innohoe. At that time, Innohoe members were successively arrested by the Ministry of Home Affairs' Security Headquarters and subjected to severe torture. One of Kim's university seniors died from the aftereffects of torture. Innohoe members recalled that during the investigation, the police had detailed information that only an organizational leader like Kim could have known. Yet, they testified that the police did not interrogate Kim, who was the district committee chairman at the time, at all. Around June 1989, 15 Innohoe members were prosecuted and detained, effectively dismantling the organization.

Coincidentally, Kim was specially recruited as a police sergeant in August 1989. The Police Officer Appointment Decree allowed special recruitment of those "related to anti-state operations." This was about two months after Innohoe was disbanded. He was first assigned to the Security Headquarters' Anti-Communist Investigation Division 3, known as the 'Hongje-dong Anti-Communist Office,' and worked in the same field until his promotion to police inspector in 1998. After his special recruitment, he achieved an exceptionally rapid promotion, rising three ranks (sergeant → senior sergeant → lieutenant → inspector) in just ten years. The average time for each promotion was just over three years. During this period, he also received seven commendations.

Those who were active with him in Innohoe suspect, based on these circumstances, that Kim may have informed on his colleagues and been specially recruited by the police. Kim denied this, saying, "It's a story like fiction," and added, "While I did confess my Innohoe activities to the police, I did not provide any statements that would affect my colleagues' safety."

As Kim says, it could be a story like fiction or a misunderstanding. The starting point of the suspicion is his 'position.' The Police Bureau was created to effectively command and supervise the entire police force, replacing the abolished Blue House Civil Affairs Office. It is a powerful organization with budget, personnel, and inspection functions. The many debates and collective opposition during its establishment?such as claims that it was a revival of the 1980s Security Headquarters or aimed at police control?also attest to the Police Bureau's significance. In an organization launched despite such controversies and resistance, ethical flaws in the inaugural director are fatal. To justify the establishment of the Police Bureau, the first director should have been a person of integrity. This personnel screening failure has caused another controversy. The issue could extend beyond the individual director to trust in the police organization and the government. The new National Police Agency Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun emphasized in his inauguration speech the day before that "the value of the police can only have vitality based on the trust of the people," which aligns with this context.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.