The Korean National Police Agency will increase annual hiring of new police officers to 6,400. That is about 1,600 more than the 4,800 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
The Korean National Police Agency stated accordingly while briefing President Lee Jae-myung on the 17th. The Korean National Police Agency said vacancies in the field due to childcare leave and other reasons total 3,701, and that hiring needs to be expanded to fill them.
The Korean National Police Agency also decided to scale down riot police units and mobile patrol units and assign 1,214 additional investigators to on-site investigative divisions.
During the briefing, President Lee Jae-myung said, "Isn't there no need to have many personnel standing by to suppress rallies and demonstrations?" and added, "Streamlining personnel so they can focus on investigations is important."
Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-seong said, "There are currently about 12,000 in the riot police, and we plan to reduce that by about 1,000," adding, "We will continue to analyze closely and review whether further cuts are possible."
Police plan to respond proactively to livelihood-related crimes through these measures. First, with annual losses from "voice phishing" exceeding 1 trillion won, they set a goal of reducing the amount to under 500 billion won by 2030. They said the scale of criminal damage has been decreasing since the Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications and Financial Fraud was launched in September.
Given the online and increasingly sophisticated nature of "drug crimes," police will focus on blocking major narcotics distribution markets and virtual asset transaction funds. They will also move in parallel to overhaul laws and systems, including introducing an undercover investigation system and establishing regulations for tracing and seizing virtual assets.
Regarding stalking and other "relationship-based crimes," they will operate a triple management system linking police stations → city and provincial governments → headquarters, and effectively enforce measures to separate offenders. They also plan to upgrade the victim protection system by linking with the Ministry of Justice's system to receive real-time locations of stalking offenders.
To counter "transnational crimes" that cross borders, such as Southeast Asian scam compounds, they will strengthen local investigative cooperation and establish a 24-hour dedicated team to respond to overseas safety situations. They will also expand overseas postings, including resident officers.
In addition, police will step up investigations related to "hate speech," "serious industrial accidents," and "the spread of false information."
The Korean National Police Agency said that even if the Prosecution Service is abolished and the Public Prosecution Office and the Major Crimes Investigation Agency (MCIA) are established, it will make the operation of the "Police Investigation Review Committee," which includes outside members such as experts, more substantive so police do not abuse their authority.
It also said it would actively participate in discussions to maintain the current oversight by prosecutors and parties involved in cases. Debate continues over prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority and other issues.
The Korean National Police Agency said it will also strengthen democratic control of police administration by revising the Police Act to bolster the legal status and authority of the National Police Commission. With a goal of fully implementing the autonomous police system in 2028, it will begin pilot operations in some cities and provinces in the second half of 2026.
Police will integrate and link the current 22 online police civil complaint portals into "Police Civil Complaints 24." As the Korean National Police Agency handled about 560,000 (31.7%) of roughly 1.75 million civil complaints filed with central administrative agencies through the national petition portal last year, the aim is to improve accessibility. An artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of responding 24 hours a day, from civil complaint counseling to legal guidance, is also slated to be developed and installed in the second half of 2026.
Acting chief Yoo said, "We will keep in mind that the police are servants of the entire public who safeguard constitutional order and protect the people's safety and freedom, and we will do our best to ensure public safety by exercising the authority given to us with our eyes only on the law, procedures, and the people."