Complete Abolition of Police Promotion Extra Points After 50 Years... Shift to 'Performance-Centered' Evaluation

From July Next Year, Only 40% of Bonus Points Applied
Completely Abolished as of June 30, 2026

The additional points system, introduced 50 years ago to enhance expertise and academic qualifications in police promotion exams, is disappearing into history. This measure aims to alleviate the burden on police officers of acquiring extra points and to reduce unnecessary competition.

Police Agency building./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 7th, the National Police Commission held its 520th regular meeting at 2 p.m. in the meeting room of the National Police Commission in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, where it deliberated and approved a plan to gradually abolish the additional points applied in police promotion evaluations. The meeting was attended by National Police Commission Chairman Kim Ho-cheol, other commission members, and officials from the National Police Agency. During the meeting, the commission approved five agenda items, including the "Partial Amendment Ordinance on Police Officer Promotion Appointment Regulations."

According to the current enforcement rules of the Police Officer Promotion Appointment Regulations, additional points are awarded in police promotion exams for ▲ proficiency in Korean or foreign languages ▲ possession of certificates or academic degrees. Submitting test scores from nationally certified Korean language exams such as the Korean Language Proficiency Test administered by KBS grants up to 0.3 points in the 'additional points' category during personnel evaluations, depending on the level. Submitting official English test scores such as TOEIC grants up to 0.5 points based on the score. For academic degrees, 0.2 points are awarded for a bachelor's degree, 0.3 for a master's, and 0.5 for a doctorate. Certificates grant additional points ranging from 0.2 to a maximum of 0.5 points depending on the type and level. The total additional points applied cannot exceed 2 points.

Typically, five times the number of promotion slots per rank are recommended to the promotion review committee, and additional points serve to compensate for deficiencies in work evaluations. The National Police Agency explains that since promotion decisions, scored out of 100 points, are often decided by a margin of 1 to 2 points, the influence of additional points is significant. A police agency official stated, “Most candidates have additional point factors when taking the promotion exam, so there is a perception that not having them is a disadvantage,” adding, “Especially, the influence of additional points inevitably grows as the number of promotions decreases.”

According to the amendment passed by the Police Commission, starting from July next year, the maximum additional points per category will be reduced to 0.3, and the total maximum score will be lowered to 1.2 points. After an additional two-year grace period, the additional points system will be completely abolished on June 30, 2026.

The additional points system for police promotion exams was first implemented in 1976 for officers working in special duty allowance areas or inspection departments. It was expanded in 1995 to include foreign languages, certificates, and degrees, and in 2010, Korean language certificates were also included. The system aimed to address the lack of police qualifications and improve expertise and academic credentials. However, as overall academic levels have risen and recruitment in various specialized fields has diversified, concerns have been continuously raised about the excessive personal time and financial burdens required to acquire additional points and the negative impact on work engagement. Additionally, there were concerns about side effects such as the increased influence of additional points due to the recent shortening of the evaluation and career assessment periods during promotion reviews.

In response, the National Police Agency has been pushing to reduce and abolish the additional points system to enable evaluations focused on work and performance. This move comes amid accumulated complaints from field officers, including cases where officers voluntarily took desk jobs to prepare for promotion exams by acquiring certificates. A police agency official explained, “There were criticisms that certificates and degrees are disconnected from actual duties, and internal dissatisfaction regarding unequal promotion opportunities depending on work location was also considered in reviewing the abolition of additional points,” adding, “However, to protect the trust of those who already hold additional points, the plan is to implement the changes gradually with a grace period.”