New Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Ko Beom-seok defined the recent string of police misconduct cases as "deviations by a very small number" and said accountability would be pursued strictly.
Ko said at the first regular press briefing after taking office on the 7th that "the vast majority of police officers are faithful to their duties and work hard," and added, "Those few who deviate must be held strictly accountable under the rules."
Ko said, "If we respond across the board because of a very small number of deviators, fatigue may build up among those who work hard," adding, "We will enable those who work hard to focus on their work, and I will consider how to reduce the deviations of the very few."
Ko assessed that public trust in the police had fallen significantly due to cases such as the "Jang Yun-gi case" and the "Jeju missing persons case," and that the organization was in a stern mood. He added, "Rather than saying now what we will do, I plan to move forward with staff with the emphasis on restoring fallen police trust, unlike in the past, to the level it once had."
Ko also emphasized patrols for crime prevention. He said, "The police activity I consider most important is patrols," adding, "We must prevent crime perfectly, 100%, but given the practical limits, we need to strengthen patrol activities to compensate."