Acting Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung expressed the view that it is desirable to dualize the national police and local police systems on the 21st.
Acting Commissioner Yoo said at his first regular press conference after taking office that he agrees with the recent opinion expressed by Minister Yoon Ho-joong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which stated, "It is desirable to dualize the local police system," and noted, "I think this could be a way to alleviate concerns about the centralization of police authority and to strengthen democracy and decentralization."
Minister Yoon Ho-joong recently stated during a personnel hearing that it is necessary to introduce a dualized local police system in response to criticism that the centralization of the police organization due to prosecutor reforms is concerning.
Although the local police system was introduced in 2021, there are still criticisms that the centralized structure centered on the national police limits local customized policing activities that suit the circumstances of local governments. Currently, the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning is discussing measures to realize the local police system.
Acting Commissioner Yoo said, "However, since police activities directly affect the daily lives of citizens, we must broadly gather the opinions of field police officers during the discussion process."
Acting Commissioner Yoo also stated regarding the abolition of the National Police Agency, which the Lee Jae-myung administration is pursuing, "The political neutrality and democracy of the police will be strengthened."
He mentioned plans to take measures this year for the restoration of honor for participants in the so-called 'Police Chief Council' who faced personnel disadvantages after opposing the establishment of the National Police Agency in 2022, stating, "We will establish official communication channels like the Police Chief Council to allow for a variety of opinions to be discussed, and we plan to leave the Police Chief Council as a historical record in the history of the Korean police, which is currently being written in celebration of its 80th anniversary."