Police Bureau to be abolished

[Anchor]

The Police Bureau, established under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and criticized for undermining police independence, is set to be abolished after three years.

Efforts will also be made to restore the honor of police officers who faced personnel disadvantages for opposing the establishment of the Police Bureau.

Choi Min-young reports.

[Report]

The Police Bureau was established under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in August 2022.

It was an organization responsible for promoting police-related policies and managing personnel matters for high-ranking police officers above the rank of superintendent.

[Lee Sang-min/Former Minister of the Interior and Safety/Aug. 2022: "We will do our utmost to help the 140,000 police officers work more comfortably and with greater dedication."]

However, concerns were raised that political power would control the police through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, undermining the independence and neutrality of investigations.

[Kim Ho-cheol/Former Chair of the National Police Commission/Aug. 2022: "We will closely examine whether the police are fulfilling their public safety duties and complying with police-related laws in accordance with the Constitution."]

Superintendents, equivalent to police station chiefs, also held meetings and voiced their opposition.

Nevertheless, the government pushed ahead with the establishment of the organization and imposed personnel disadvantages, such as remote assignments, on police officers who opposed it.

Despite challenges in its establishment, the Police Bureau is now on the path to abolition following the launch of the new government.

The National Police Agency stated that the Police Bureau was established solely through an enforcement decree, without a basis in the Government Organization Act. It added that, despite being a major institutional reform with significant implications for police operations, the establishmnt of the bureau involved no formal deliberation.

They also mentioned that they would work to restore the honor of the police officers who suffered disadvantages.

In response, a police officer who attended the superintendents' meeting said that while it is impossible to reverse the disadvantages already incurred, what is more important is to reflect on the entire process of establishing and operating the Police Bureau and to clarify its impact on the National Police Agency.

This is KBS News, Choi Min-young.