Police to expand ban on case inquiries to unretained lawyers, office managers

South Korea's police will tighten the system for blocking case inquiries and illicit requests to strengthen the fairness and accountability of investigations. The expanded rules will cover not only internal police personnel but also outside parties — including lawyers who have not filed a formal letter of appointment and law office managers — and investigators who fail to report such inquiries will face disciplinary action.

The Korean National Police Agency said Thursday it held the third meeting of its task force on follow-up measures to the revised Code of Criminal Procedure, where officials discussed ways to block improper case inquiries and requests.

Police plan to formally codify the existing internal ban on case inquiries into the agency's Code of Conduct for Civil Servants, which currently operates only as an internal guideline.

Under the new rules, all agency personnel will be prohibited from making inquiries about ongoing cases, and investigators who receive such inquiries will be required to report them to their office's audit and human rights officer. Both the officer who made the inquiry and the investigator who received it but failed to report it will face disciplinary action.

The scope of the ban will expand beyond internal police personnel to include outside parties. Lawyers who have not submitted a formal letter of appointment, as well as law office managers, will also be prohibited from making inquiries about cases.

When an unretained lawyer makes a case inquiry, police will notify the Korean Bar Association. Inquiries from office managers and similar parties will be reviewed to determine whether they constitute "improper solicitation" under the Anti-Graft Act.

Disciplinary standards will also be refined. Police plan to establish separate penalty guidelines in the detailed enforcement rules of the Police Officer Disciplinary Decree, with distinct criteria for officers who make case inquiries, those who disclose information on major cases, those who leak information on ordinary cases, and those who violate the mandatory reporting obligation.

Police will also revise the existing ban on private contact, which is designed to prevent inappropriate interactions with retired officers and others.

The categories of people subject to the private-contact ban — currently set out only in internal guidelines — will be formally codified in the code of conduct. Clearer standards will also be established for the locations and methods permitted when contact is necessary for official duties.

Those covered by the ban include people associated with establishments where illegal activities take place — such as prostitution, gambling and other unlawful speculative operations — as well as parties to a case, including suspects, victims, complainants, accusers and defense counsel.

Violations of the private-contact ban will be designated as a separate category of misconduct, with its own disciplinary standards.

Police plan to brief frontline units on the changes next month, complete the necessary revision of related directives, and put the expanded system into effect in October.

Police will also pursue improvements to personnel policies, including expanded commendations and promotion opportunities for outstanding investigators and shorter tenure requirements. Measures will be rolled out sequentially, starting with those that can be implemented immediately, following consultations with related ministries.