Public Safety Committee Chair: "Police Personnel Moves 'Concealing and Protecting Insurrection'... Unacceptable"

Shin Jeong-hoon, Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, criticized the police personnel appointments on the 18th, saying, "I do not understand whether they are heading down the path of concealing and protecting the insurrection or trying to be reborn as the people's police."

Shin Jeong-hoon, Chairman of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee. Photo by Yonhap News

At the committee's plenary meeting that day, Chairman Shin said, "We must never take lightly the reality that the police leadership is being detained and investigated," adding, "Do not handle personnel appointments as if it is okay to just pass over the Public Administration and Security Committee lightly. Everything will eventually be revealed."

Chairman Shin stated, "The testimonies given by those involved in the insurrection to the prosecution and police after their responses at the Public Administration and Security Committee are completely different by 180 degrees," and added, "I absolutely cannot overlook the continuous false statements."

He also pointed out, "It seems the police have not let go of their attachment to the insurrection," and criticized, "Former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik is repeatedly making false statements and justifying the emergency martial law."

Earlier, controversy arose when Park Hyun-soo, Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, was appointed as the Seoul Police Chief on the 7th. Park, acting in his role, was appointed to key positions such as the personnel verification team of the Presidential Transition Committee and the National Situation Room of the Presidential Office under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, as well as Director of the Police Intelligence Bureau at the National Police Agency and Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. It was revealed that Park had multiple phone calls with Police Chief Jo Ji-ho, former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and Police Chief of the Security Bureau Im Jeong-ju shortly after the declaration of martial law.