[Number 112] "A Decade of Police History in a Single Book"... Police Officers Recording Their Legacy

[Financial News]"80th Anniversary of the Founding: Embracing History, Opening Tomorrow."Cho Chung-sik, Sergeant of the Korean Police History Compilation Task Force at the Planning and Human Resources Office of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA),Photosaid on the 17th, "The Task Force serves as a bridge between the past and the future, learning lessons from history while preparing for what lies ahead. That's why we chose this phrase as our slogan."
The Korean Police History Compilation Task Force is an organization convened every ten years to objectively document the history of the Korean police. It comprehensively records the evolution of the police organization and its duties, achievements and shortcomings, traditions, and milestones. Since the publication of the first and second volumes of the History of Korean Police in 1972 and 1973, new volumes have been released every decade since 1985.
This year, marking the 80th anniversary of the police, the seventh volume will cover the years from 2015 to 2024. Each volume is about 1,500 pages long. To accomplish this, the KNPA formed a dedicated task force of seven members in March, including one Superintendent. Cho Chung-sik, who joined the police as a Police Officer through the 2016 open recruitment, had a strong interest in history and volunteered for the task force. He stated, "I take great pride in working in the department responsible for documenting the history of the police organization."
The main duty of the Task Force is to organize vast amounts of historical materials and draft manuscripts based on them. Since it must cover the entire history of the police over the past decade, the amount of data to be collected is substantial. The Task Force requests cooperation from various police departments to gather materials,compiles them,and is responsible for presenting them in an objective and balanced manner.
Sergeant Cho explained, "When it comes to police history, the most representative areas are changes in the organization and its activities. We objectively organize data by function, such as how the size of the organization has expanded or contracted, how systems like shift work have evolved, and what results have been achieved through various investigations."
He emphasized that recording history during this 80th anniversary year is especially meaningful. Sergeant Cho noted, "The past decade has seen a series of major incidents, as well as significant changes in the organization, such as the adjustment of investigative authority and the implementation of the autonomous police system. I believe it is very meaningful to document the police’s role and the flow of institutional changes during these complex times so that future generations can refer to them."
The Task Force is also making various efforts to promote the History of Korean Police, in addition to manuscript preparation. In May, they produced a card news feature by interviewing a family with three generations of police officers. By sharing the family's experiences, they illustrated decades of organizational change in a narrative format, which received a positive response internally. In July, they collaborated with photographer Rami on a project where Korean War Veteran Police Officers and current officers took commemorative photos together. In August, they worked with YouTuber DrawDREAM to use AI to restore police heroes from history.
Sergeant Cho remarked, "We put a lot of thought into creating content that could resonate with all generations for promoting police history. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when the card news we produced received positive feedback from police members, or when videos created by the Task Force were requested by institutions like the Central Police Academy (CPA) for use as educational materials."
Based on a year of activity, the seventh volume of the History of Korean Police is expected to be completed early next year. Once the book is published, the Task Force’s work will conclude. The next Task Force is expected to be formed again in another ten years.
Sergeant Cho stated, "There is a saying: 'A tiger leaves its hide when it dies, a person leaves their name.' Through this work with the Task Force, it was a great honor and responsibility to leave my name on a page of police history."
He added, "Based on my experience exploring and recording the activities, achievements, and dedication of senior police officers, I will not lose that spirit. I will continue to approach my work with the mindset that what I do will remain in history, and I will carry out my duties with responsibility."

welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter