Korea and Brazil Police Launch Joint Cooperation to Tackle Transnational Crime

First Agreement Between the Two National Police Agencies... Joint Investigations and Information Sharing
Proposal for South Korea to Join AMERIPOL as an Observer

South Korean and Brazilian investigative authorities have launched international cooperation to counter transnational crime. In particular, they expanded their cooperation network by discussing the participation of the Korean National Police Agency as an observer in the American Police Community of the Americas (AMERIPOL).

The National Police Agency announced that on the 23rd in Seoul, Yu Jaesung, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, held a security chiefs' meeting with Andrey Passos Rodrigues, Chief of the Brazilian Federal Police, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on police cooperation. This is the first official agreement signed between the two national police agencies, and it is significant in that it establishes a practical basis for investigative cooperation to respond to transnational crime with Brazil, a major country in South America, and lays the groundwork for information sharing.

Yoo Jaesung, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, held a Korea-Brazil police chiefs' meeting with Rodrigues Andrei Passos, Chief of the Brazilian Federal Police, in Seoul on the 23rd and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on police cooperation between the Korean and Brazilian police agencies. National Police Agency

At the chiefs' meeting, Acting Commissioner General Yu explained that transnational crimes that cross borders, such as drug trafficking and online scams (fraud), are becoming a global threat, and he stressed solidarity with the Brazilian Federal Police.

In particular, the National Police Agency proposed that Brazil formally join the International Investigation Cooperation Association (IICA) and requested active participation by the Brazilian police in "Breaking Chains," an international joint operation led by the Korean National Police Agency. The police are expanding multilateral cooperation networks for joint responses to transnational crimes such as scams. Previously, at the International Police Chiefs Conference hosted in Seoul in October last year, they adopted a joint declaration on a "practical international alliance to counter the ecosystem of transnational crime" and launched the "International Investigation Cooperation Association" together with participating countries.

Yu Jaesung, Acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, held a Korea-Brazil meeting of police chiefs with Rodrigues Andrey Passos, Chief of the Brazilian Federal Police, in Seoul on the 23rd and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on police cooperation. National Police Agency

In addition, they proposed to Chief Rodrigues, who is currently serving as Secretary General of AMERIPOL, that South Korea participate in AMERIPOL with observer status. If the National Police Agency joins AMERIPOL, a cooperative body of police organizations from 27 Latin American countries, it is expected that systematic cooperation channels can be established with countries in the region.

Furthermore, the security chiefs of the two countries discussed so-called "Hallyu scams," in which criminals exploit the Korean Wave boom in Brazil by impersonating Koreans or spreading false information about performances. Acting Commissioner General Yu emphasized that, as Brazil is the largest Korean Wave market in Latin America, preemptive measures are needed to protect Korean nationals and local fans. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to jointly strengthen activities for crime prevention and investigative cooperation.

Lee Jaeyoung, Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation at the National Police Agency, said, "We have expanded our police cooperation network all the way to Latin America on the opposite side of the globe," adding, "Brazil will serve as a key bridgehead for expanding cooperation in the South American region."