Ministry of the Interior and Safety begins full-scale abolition of the Police Bureau... Completion of organizational amendment notice by the end of August

[Financial News]  


The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police Bureau, which was criticized for hindering the independence of the police organization under the previous Yoon Seok-yeol administration, is entering the abolition process.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 3rd that it has begun the process of amending the organizational and enforcement rules for the abolition of the Police Bureau as part of fulfilling the presidential pledge.
This is a follow-up measure to the National Planning Committee's selection of the abolition of the Police Bureau as a swift task, and is part of President Lee Jae-myung's campaign pledge to strengthen the neutrality and democratic control of the police.
Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has prepared amendments to the 'Organization of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and its Affiliated Agencies' and the 'Enforcement Rules of the Organization of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and its Affiliated Agencies', which are presidential decrees.
The amendments are expected to be completed by the end of August after going through the legislative notice and consultation with related agencies from the 4th to the 11th of this month, as well as procedures such as vice-ministerial and cabinet meetings.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung said, "The abolition of the Police Bureau is a task that must be pursued swiftly to strengthen the neutrality and democratic control of the police," adding, "I will actively cooperate with the discussion on the realization of the National Police Commission being conducted by the National Planning Committee."
The Police Bureau was newly established within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2022 by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration under the pretext of checking the police, whose authority had increased due to the 'complete deprivation of prosecutorial investigation rights'.
At the time of its establishment, there were significant concerns about the Ministry of the Interior and Safety directly exercising police personnel authority, which raised concerns about the erosion of police independence, political neutrality, and a lack of democratic legitimacy.
As a result, there was strong resistance, including protests and head-shaving demonstrations by senior police officers.



ktitk@fnnews.com Kim Tae-kyung Reporter