On the 29th, the Korean National Police Agency noted regarding President Lee Jae-myung's pledge to abolish the police bureau, "We actively empathize with the government's pledge and will actively participate in its implementation."
The Korean National Police Agency stated in a press release that "the police bureau undermines the intention of the police law, which aims to ensure the neutrality and independence of the police."
The police bureau is a police organizational body newly established within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety by the Yoon Suk-yeol government in 2022, responsible for promoting police-related policies and personnel matters for senior positions above the rank of police chief.
The Korean National Police Agency pointed out that the police bureau was established solely based on a presidential decree without explicit backing from higher laws like the Government Organization Act, thus lacking legal and democratic legitimacy.
Additionally, it added that there was no sufficient deliberation with the police at the time of establishment, and that procedural legitimacy was lacking as it did not undergo deliberation and decision by the National Police Commission.
The Korean National Police Agency diagnosed that the police bureau has not presented a single policy improvement proposal to the National Police Commission since its establishment and deemed it ineffective.
Recently, a follow-up position was also issued in response to the demand from the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning under the Lee Jae-myung government to withdraw the personnel disadvantages imposed on police officers who opposed the establishment of the police bureau in 2022.
Ryu Sam-young, a former police chief (chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's Dongjak district committee) who led the police chiefs' meeting that resulted in disciplinary action, is currently serving as a political administrative committee expert for the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning and has also received reports from the Korean National Police Agency.
The Korean National Police Agency stated, "The so-called 'police chiefs' meeting' that nationwide police chiefs voluntarily held to share various concerns regarding the establishment of the police bureau must be respected."
The attendees of the police chiefs' meeting officially acknowledged the fact that they experienced personnel disadvantages such as ▲ multiple-level position assignments ▲ changes in positions within six months outside the general personnel cycle (1 year) ▲ assignments unrelated to previous careers or areas of expertise ▲ long-distance postings far from their usual living areas.
The Korean National Police Agency expressed "deep regret over the personnel disadvantages" and stated it would work towards improving the system and restoring the honor of the attendees of the police chiefs' meeting.
First, it will consider establishing official communication channels like the police chiefs' meeting to ensure various opinions are freely discussed within the police organization and actively reflected in policies.
Additionally, it plans to restore the exhibition table from the 'police chiefs' meeting' that was displayed in the lobby of the Police Human Resource Development Institute in 2022 and to document related content in the upcoming history of Korean police, which is being written to mark the 80th anniversary of police establishment this year.
The Korean National Police Agency stated, "We respect the devotion of the attendees of the police chiefs' meeting, who dedicated themselves to maintaining the political neutrality of the police," and added, "We will conduct fair and reasonable personnel actions by comprehensively considering achievements, capabilities, and job experience without any further disadvantages."