Government launches police reform committee, prime minister calls for sweeping overhaul

A police reform committee under the Prime Minister's Office was officially launched Wednesday, beginning work on a comprehensive plan to overhaul the country's law enforcement.

The government held the committee's inaugural meeting Wednesday afternoon at Government Complex Seoul, chaired by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, to discuss its future direction. In her opening remarks, Han said the launch of the Central Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Office on Oct. 2 had brought about a major restructuring of the criminal justice system by separating investigation from indictment. "The police now bear greater authority and heavier responsibility than ever as the backbone of criminal investigations," she said.

The Police Reform Committee, which operates under the Prime Minister's Office, is an advisory body of up to 20 members drawn from heads of relevant agencies — including the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Korean National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice — as well as civilian experts. Among the civilian members appointed are Kim Seon-taek, an emeritus professor at Korea University School of Law, and Park Sang-yung, an attorney at law firm Daeryuk Aju. The government and the ruling party have recently called for rigorous police reform following a series of investigative failures, including the improper closure of a missing-persons case in Jeju and evidence destruction in the Jang Yun-gi case.

Han added that there were deep concerns about whether the police could handle the weight of their expanded role. "For the police to regain public trust and fulfill their core functions, change at a bone-cutting level is needed," she said.

The committee plans to center its reform proposals on how to keep expanded police powers in check following the criminal justice restructuring. "As authority has grown, so must the checks on it," Han said. "How to design effective internal and external controls must come first."

She also stressed that police capacity should be focused on protecting the daily lives of citizens. "As investigative functions expand, frontline public safety must not weaken," Han said. "The allocation of personnel and resources must be fundamentally reviewed to strengthen public security capabilities."

Han urged the committee to move quickly. "The longer reform is delayed, the more public expectations will turn to disappointment," she said, calling on members to put forward proposals the public can review and refine together, rather than spending too long preparing a perfect answer.