Acting police chief opens with apology, vows 'thorough reform' from the ground up

"Before any promise, I offer words of reflection and apology."

The new acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency opened his tenure with contrition. Kim Jong-cheol, the agency's deputy commissioner, convened a national police command meeting Thursday as his first official act. Police chiefs from across the country attended in person — an unusual gathering before a new leadership team has formally taken office.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Kim referenced the recent case in which a missing person whose disappearance police had concealed was later found dead. "My steps felt heavy on the way to work," he said, adding that "an irreversible outcome arose in the course of handling an investigation directly tied to people's lives — the most fundamental duty of the police." He said the entire command was treating the situation "with greater gravity than ever before" and pledged to "show results through action, not just ask the public to trust us."

The meeting was held in a somber atmosphere. A banner displayed behind the participants read: "We will rebuild the police from the basics through deep reflection and thorough reform." Those present recited the Police Charter together.

Kim called on the assembled commanders to "restore the police's fundamental principles and standards so that we can fulfill our core responsibility of protecting the lives and safety of the people," urging them to "lead the change in policing with a heightened sense of responsibility and a renewed attitude."

He also addressed the problem of officers forming improper ties based on regional connections, saying they must "break free from favoritism and the temptation of corruption and devote themselves to public safety for local residents." A personnel reshuffle carried out Tuesday applied a rule barring senior officers from serving in regions where they have personal ties, resulting in 14 of the country's 18 provincial and metropolitan police chiefs being replaced.

Closing his remarks, Kim said he would ensure that "actions that undermine the fairness and independence of investigations, that minimize or conceal cases, or that give the public inaccurate accounts can no longer find a foothold in the police." He added that the agency would "not explain only the facts favorable to the police" but would "transparently disclose before the public whose fault it was and where responsibility lies."

The closed portion of the meeting focused on measures to improve the response system for missing-persons cases. Participants also discussed ways to strengthen investigative capacity ahead of the amended Code of Criminal Procedure taking effect Oct. 2, under which police will take on primary responsibility for most investigations, to prevent any gap in case handling.

Kim was scheduled to travel to Jeju on Thursday afternoon to meet the family of a man in his 60s, identified only by his surname, who was found dead while police had concealed his disappearance, and to inspect local policing conditions. The man was first reported missing July 2, but the officer in charge dismissed the report and falsely closed the case — a revelation that sparked widespread public outrage. The same officer was also found to have falsely closed the missing-persons report for Jang Mi-ran, 37, whose body was recovered Aug. 24, 104 days after she went missing.

Amid mounting public criticism, police have been rolling out a series of internal reform measures. The Korean National Police Agency said it would establish a police reform task force in response to the crisis to conduct a comprehensive review of its organization and systems and strengthen internal oversight.