Concerns over revised rule allowing two terms as police station chief in same promotion area: "Do I have to face that boss again?"

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[The Financial News] Last month, the Korean National Police Committee eased regulations so that officers promoted within a Metropolitan Police Agency can serve as chief of a police station there up to two times. Frontline officers are largely welcoming the move as an "appropriate measure." They argue it will deepen local understanding and strengthen policing expertise. However, some warn it could foster cartels and force inspectors and lower-ranking officers into uncomfortable reunions with former superiors with whom they had strained relationships.
According to the Korean National Police Committee on the 13th, the committee met in its conference room on the 24th of last month and approved, as originally drafted, a proposal to partially revise the Regulations on the Personnel Management of Police Officials. The key change allows an officer to serve as chief of a police station up to two times within the Metropolitan Police Agency where they were promoted.
Previously, to ensure rotation of Senior Superintendents, an officer whose name was on the promotion list could serve as chief of a police station only once within the Metropolitan Police Agency to which they belonged at the time. The rank of Senior Superintendent is directly below Commissioner General, Chief Superintendent General, Assistant Commissioner, and Senior Assistant Commissioner. Officers at this rank typically serve as frontline chiefs of a police station, as well as division heads at National Police Headquarters and Metropolitan Police Agencies. In practice, a Senior Superintendent usually serves as chief of a police station no more than about four times in total.
On the ground, many say the revision will enhance policing expertise and are expressing high expectations. A police official in Busan Metropolitan City commented, "Most of the current chiefs of police stations in Busan have come from other regions. Because they do not really know local circumstances, their grip on the organization is clearly weaker." The official added, "In many cases, they spend a year just learning the geography and then leave. That naturally saps their enthusiasm."
The change is also expected to ease concerns about security gaps. Chiefs brought in from other regions usually have no choice but to rent temporary housing, so they often leave their posts on weekends to visit their families. If a major violent crime occurs during that time, the absence of the top commander can make an appropriate response difficult. A police official said, "Typically, chiefs leave on Friday evening to see their families and return around Sunday evening, creating a three-day leadership vacuum." The official added, "With housing prices rising recently, even monthly rent has become a heavy burden for them."
However, if the revised guideline leads to an officer serving two consecutive terms as chief of a police station within the same promotion-area agency, questions of fairness may arise. The Regulations on the Personnel Management of Police Officials state that an officer cannot be appointed consecutively as chief of a police station. An exception is allowed only when the Personnel Committee deems it unavoidable for staffing reasons, in which case two consecutive terms are permitted. Addressing this concern, a police official noted, "As a matter of practice, it is extremely rare for someone to serve consecutive terms as chief of a police station," and added, "The usual pattern is that after being promoted to Senior Superintendent and serving as a chief, the officer is then assigned as a division head at a Metropolitan Police Agency."
Critics also point out that fewer personnel exchanges with other regions could increase the risk of chiefs becoming too close to local power brokers. One police official stressed, "Along with these issues, inspectors and lower-ranking officers may end up having as their direct superior a chief with whom they previously had a poor relationship, so the structural burden on them can only grow heavier."
huni@fnnews.com Baek Chang-hoon Reporter