[MZ Police Officer] "Prevention Over Arrest"… The Youngest PR Team Member Preventing Crime Through Messages

Kim Juhong, Public Relations Officer at Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency
"Leading Crime Prevention by Utilizing Social Media and Cultural Content"

Editor's NoteGeneration Z is coming. It is an era where newcomers in their 20s and 30s decide the future of organizational culture. The police are no exception. The police have various departments such as criminal investigation, investigation, security, intelligence, traffic, administration, public relations, audit, and women & youth. The working environments differ across metropolitan police agencies, police stations, riot police units, and local police substations, and the tasks vary greatly by region. From the perspective of the youngest police officers, we introduce their departments and share vivid stories about their thoughts on work and life.

"If someone claiming to be from a public institution asks for a bank transfer or cash withdrawal, it is 100% voice phishing"

This phrase can be seen on the unmanned checkout kiosks at the low-cost lifestyle goods store Daiso. Since June last year, Daiso has been displaying banner messages to raise customers' awareness about voice phishing before they make a purchase. Some customers have said, "I hung up on a suspicious call after seeing this banner message." Previously, police crime prevention promotional messages were often ignored as they were limited to banners or posters, but now they have expanded to familiar everyday places, capturing citizens' attention and achieving practical crime prevention effects.

On the 10th, Police Officer Kim Juhong posed at the Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency building in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do. Provided by Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency

This phrase was the idea of Sergeant Kim Juhong (34) from the Public Relations Office of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency. Kim, whom Asia Economy met, is known as a 'creative engine' in the field of crime prevention and policy promotion. He is a strategic communication expert who delivers messages tailored to the public's level of understanding through various channels to prevent socially problematic crimes such as drugs, voice phishing, romance scams, gambling, malicious fraud, and deepfakes.

In the past, police public relations mostly involved one-way offline announcements such as posters and banners. However, Kim leads interactive communication-type promotions that engage and resonate with the public by crossing diverse communication channels including corporations, influencers, and social media (SNS).

A representative example is the drug eradication campaign conducted in collaboration with the film "Yadang," which portrayed the dark reality of drug crimes. Drug test kits were distributed to attendees at the preview screening, and anti-drug crime messages were displayed on the screen before the film started. Audience members responded with comments like "I should never touch drugs" and "I hope there are more campaigns like this." Kim said, "This was especially meaningful as it went beyond simple police posters and naturally embedded prevention messages within cultural content."

On the 10th, Police Officer Kim Juhong is seen working at the Public Relations Office of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency. Provided by Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency

Additionally, in March last year, a voice phishing crime prevention short video produced in collaboration with YouTuber Insaeng 2hoecha, who has 1.03 million subscribers, garnered 1.65 million and 7.52 million views on YouTube and Instagram respectively. Content was also created with economic YouTuber Shuka World, who has 3.55 million subscribers, to promote romance scam prevention.

The police select the best public relations cases every month from 18 metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide. The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency was chosen as an excellent case eight times last year. At the center of this success was Sergeant Kim's planning skills and sensibility. Other metropolitan and provincial police agencies also regard his work as a benchmark for their own promotions. Kim said, "It feels rewarding as it means that flexible and fun promotions are increasing within the police organization."

Kim joined the police in 2020 and, while working in the Cyber Investigation Team at Yeoncheon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, he realized that the elderly and military personnel were vulnerable to new types of crimes such as investment fraud and deepfakes. He said, "While catching suspects is important, I thought prevention should come first," and "That's why I applied for public relations work."

On the 10th, Police Officer Kim Juhong is being interviewed by reporters at the Public Relations Office of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency. Provided by Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency

Police public relations require highly sophisticated planning skills to convey crime prevention and policy messages at the public's level of understanding. It is not simply listing policies through posters but is an 'art of communication' that makes the public understand and take action. Although it is sometimes misunderstood as an 'easy assignment' because it does not involve 112 emergency calls or crime scene duties, in reality, it is a challenging strategic role responsible for organizational trust and policy delivery.

Kim said, "Because the police organization must maintain credibility and trustworthiness, I have to be very careful with every way the message is expressed when planning content," adding, "Also, when collaborating externally, the coordination process can take longer due to differences in direction, requiring more energy than expected." After content is released, Kim monitors and analyzes public reactions and searches for insights to apply to the next campaign.

These days, he is contemplating how to effectively deliver messages to prevent increasingly sophisticated new types of fraud. Fraud methods are becoming more cunning, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate a friend's voice to demand money, messenger phishing that sends links pretending to be overdue payments, and inducing advance payments by advertising 'short-term high-income part-time jobs.' Because of this, victims range widely from teenagers and people in their 20s to middle-aged and elderly people. Regarding this, Kim said, "(Therefore) it is an important time to create messages that anyone can empathize with and easily understand," emphasizing, "The goal is to deliver messages not fearfully but empathetically and memorably."

On the 10th, Police Officer Kim Juhong posed at the Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency building in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency

After work and on days off, Kim enjoys cultural activities such as gaming, movies, musicals, and exhibitions. He says he gains inspiration for public relations from artistic scenes and directing styles. Because the nature of public relations work requires a keen sense to capture trends like memes (internet viral content) and challenges (campaign-type content) popular among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). He said, "Nowadays, I rather think that 'resting well is also an extension of work,'" adding, "I think I have developed an occupational habit."

Finally, Kim said, "I feel great fulfillment in the process of creating messages that prevent crimes in advance," and "Ultimately, I want to be a police officer who can talk about safety closest to the people." He added, "Nowadays, crimes are digitalized, becoming less visible and more sophisticated, so I believe the police must respond quickly and sometimes creatively in such times."