“Are the people subjects of human experimentation?” Han Dong-hoon slams “police university law school”; ruling party says it is “not an official proposal” in bid to contain fallout

[Financial News] As reports emerged that the Democratic Party was considering establishing a law school within the Korean National Police University as part of police reform, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon unleashed fierce criticism, calling it “a government that views the people as subjects of human experimentation.” The Democratic Party immediately moved to contain the fallout, saying the idea “has not been included in any official proposal,” but the battle between the ruling and opposition parties over overhauling the judicial and investigative systems appears to be intensifying.
The controversy was sparked by recent reports from some quarters of the political world that the Democratic Party’s Police Reform Promotion Task Force had discussed and considered establishing a law school at the Korean National Police University to bolster police investigative capabilities and legal expertise. Some interpreted the proposal as an attempt to address concerns about gaps in frontline police capabilities that arose after the overhaul of the criminal justice system, including the abolition of prosecutors’ direct investigative powers.
In response, lawmaker Han Dong-hoon posted a strongly worded criticism on his social media account on the 1st. “The Korean National Police University is an institution that trains senior police officers with taxpayers’ money. It’s absurd to establish a law school there that would qualify individuals to become lawyers,” he said, directly criticizing the idea as “an attempt to create unchecked power in the form of ‘police + prosecutors.’”
He continued, “After abolishing the prosecution service and seeing one side effect after another, the Democratic Party is just ‘throwing things out there’ without any plan,” and sharply criticized it, saying, “It views the people as ‘subjects of human experimentation.’”
As the controversy spread, the Democratic Party’s Police Reform Promotion Task Force issued a statement to the press that same day, officially denying the reports. “The proposal to establish a law school at the Korean National Police University has neither been discussed nor considered, and it is not included in our police reform plan,” the task force said, adding, “Some members’ personal views cannot become the task force’s reform plan.”
But shortly after the Democratic Party’s explanation, Han posted again on social media and kept up his attack. “The Democratic Party cannot deny the fact that there were internal discussions about pursuing a law school at the Korean National Police University, yet it is trying to wriggle out of it by saying, ‘That’s not true,’” Han said, again warning, “Don’t even dream of it.”
Political circles expect discussions of institutional reform concerning expanded police powers and stronger expertise to remain a major issue, given the continuing sharp differences between the ruling and opposition parties over prosecution reform and the adjustment of investigative powers.

[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter