Police ban on internal case inquiries draws scrutiny as only 3 disciplinary actions recorded in 6 years

A police system designed to prevent officers from making internal inquiries about ongoing cases is drawing criticism for its low reporting rates and weak disciplinary outcomes, raising questions about its effectiveness.

Concerns have grown following the Jang Yun-gi case, which highlighted the risks of police officers or their family members influencing investigations involving them. With amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure expanding police investigative authority, calls are mounting to strengthen internal oversight and control mechanisms.

The ban on inter-staff case inquiries was introduced as part of a comprehensive anti-corruption package the Korean National Police Agency assembled in 2020 following the redistribution of investigative authority between police and prosecutors. The system prohibits current and former officers from contacting the officers handling a case to ask about its status or request that it be handled in a particular way.

Data submitted to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ju-min of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee by the Korean National Police Agency on Monday showed that since the system took effect, reports filed through the anti-solicitation reporting portal have remained low — one in 2020, 17 in 2021, 12 in 2022, 10 in 2023, five in 2024 and three last year.

The reported violations included "case inquiries" — asking whether a suspect had been booked or about the direction or schedule of an investigation — as well as "investigative interference," such as requesting that a suspect not be summoned or that a case be closed, and asking that investigators treat a subject with particular courtesy during questioning.

Even when reports were filed, few resulted in serious disciplinary action.

Excluding cases closed without action, the number of measures taken since the system's introduction stood at zero in 2020, 10 in 2021, eight in 2022, eight in 2023, three in 2024 and zero last year.

Of those, formal disciplinary action amounted to just three cases: a reprimand in 2021, a pay cut in 2022 and a demotion in 2023.

The remaining measures were relatively minor — two unrecorded warnings, 18 warnings and seven cautions.

Of the nine cases reported through July this year, three have been closed and six remain under investigation.

Critics inside and outside the police force say the actual frequency of internal case inquiries among officers far exceeds what official reports reflect.

The Jang Yun-gi case offered a stark example. A serving officer who is Jang's father was found to have contacted the investigators handling the case, received information about plans to seek an arrest warrant and then destroyed key evidence — a revelation that sent shockwaves through the force.

On Wednesday, police raided a relevant unit in Daegu after finding indications that a fellow officer had contacted the department handling a drunk-driving and hit-and-run case involving a serving officer and leaked investigative information.

The repeated recurrence of internal case inquiries and investigative information leaks even after the system was put in place has led critics to conclude that existing controls are insufficient.

Observers note that the ban remains an internal guideline rather than a formal code of conduct or directive, and that reporting and sanctions are inadequate — pointing to the need to strengthen the system's enforcement.

The Police Investigation Reform Committee, established to improve public trust in police investigations, is discussing whether to enshrine the ban in the Korean National Police Agency's civil servant code of conduct, elevating it from its current status as a mere internal guideline.

The committee is also reviewing whether to extend the system's coverage beyond current and former officers to include unretained lawyers and law firm administrative staff.

Alongside this, the committee is looking at establishing specific disciplinary standards by type of violation — covering officers who make case inquiries, those who provide information on major cases, those who leak information on general cases, and those who fail to report violations. It is also examining a system of rewards or commendations for officers who report inquiries they receive.

"We will work through further discussions to develop concrete measures covering the legal basis of the system, who it applies to and what disciplinary standards should apply," a committee official said. "We are also looking at ways to block inappropriate case inquiries and contact, particularly as more retired officers move into law firms."