South Korea to open Interpol database to all government agencies in push against transnational crime

By Kim A-rin, The Herald Business

Starting in 2028, Interpol's database will be accessible to South Korean government agencies beyond the police for the first time. Agencies will be able to handle international cooperation requests and check Interpol red notices directly, without routing them through the police. The change is expected to significantly accelerate the country's response to transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, international fraud and human trafficking.

The Korean National Police Agency said Monday it has been pursuing a three-year plan, launched this year, to build a pan-government international cooperation system by sharing Interpol's network across government. The core of the plan is to gradually extend access to the Interpol network — currently managed exclusively by the agency's International Police Cooperation Bureau — to other agencies including the Korea Coast Guard and Korea Customs Service.

The agency will hold a briefing for government agencies Thursday on the joint use of the Interpol network, covering the cooperation framework and security standards for each agency. After the briefing, the police plan to sign MOUs with individual agencies and complete Interpol's approval process before opening the network on a rolling basis starting next year.

Under the current system, other government agencies must go through the Korean National Police Agency to request international cooperation through Interpol. Once the network is opened, officials at each agency will be able to log in directly and handle cooperation requests and responses in real time. Checking whether a person is subject to an Interpol notice will also become simpler — agencies will be able to query the database themselves immediately, rather than submitting a separate request to the police.

However, detailed criminal information such as specific charges will continue to be accessible only through the police, in accordance with Interpol regulations.

The police envision eventually linking the system to the networks of other regional law enforcement bodies — including Aseanapol, Europol, Ameripol and Afripol — to build a pan-government international cooperation platform.

"This briefing is the first step toward transforming the Interpol network into a shared government asset," said Park Jun-seong, director of the Korean National Police Agency's International Police Cooperation Bureau. "We will finalize MOUs with each agency by the end of the year and prepare to give government agencies direct access to the Interpol network starting in 2027."