hankyoreh

Lee Sang-min, the minister of the interior and safety, announces the ministry’s recommendation for the establishment of a police bureau at the briefing room of the Central Government Complex Seoul on June 27. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

The South Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) plans to share an outline on July 15 for a new “police bureau” to oversee the police’s duties and organizations, along with a plan for internal regulations to serve as a basis for the National Police Agency commissioner general’s exercise of command authority.

The ministry sent a clear message that it would be wasting no time going ahead with its original plan, despite critics arguing it would be inappropriate for the administration to exercise direct control over the police. Police Commissioner-General Kim Chang-yong declared his intent to resign shortly before the announcement by the MOIS.

Speaking at a briefing Monday at the Central Government Complex in Seoul, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min stated, “In addition to issues with the ways in which past administrations have directed and supervised the police, the recent abrupt increase and intensification of police authority has raised the need for supplementary measures, including a reorganization of the police management system and improvements to their investigation capabilities.”

Kim Chang-yong, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, leaves the agency’s offices in Seoul after offering to resign on June 27. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

He went on to announce plans to “work quickly to establish a support organization for the police within the MOIS, enact command regulations for the affiliated commissioner, and establish transparent personnel procedures.”

Lee said the plan was to “develop a final plan to announce to the public by July 15, after which we would begin enacting and amending the relevant regulations.” The MOIS is scheduled to go through opinion-gathering procedures before announcing its final plan, including roundtable discussions, conversations with the press, and discussions with related institutions.

A ministry-linked advisory committee for improving the police system previously issued a recommendation on June 21 with related content. The MOIS’s announcement Monday about presenting plans for the police organization and enactment of command regulations came less than a week after the advisory committee’s recommendation — prompting some critics to accuse the administration of “blitzing through” plans for establishing control over the police.

Commenting on the controversy over the administration controlling the police organization, Lee said, “Under past administrations, the Blue House routinely commanded and controlled the police directly.”

“They would bypass the MOIS, violating the Constitution and laws that required it to go through the ministry,” he added, characterizing the latest measure as “rectifying an abnormal state of affairs.”

Police Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong, who had repeatedly expressed his opposition to the MOIS plan, announced his intent to step down shortly before Lee’s announcement Monday.

In a statement, Kim said, “I apologize for not being able to come up with the optimal plan from the public’s standpoint. After deep contemplation of the roles and responsibilities assigned to me as National Police Agency commissioner general, I determined that the best thing at the present time would be for me to resign.”

Kim reportedly had a 98-minute telephone conversation with Lee last weekend, during which he shared his concerns about the “blitzkrieg” tactics of the MOIS.

The presidential office made no secret of its displeasure with Kim announcing his intent to resign.

Commenting on the fact that Kim made his announcement just before President Yoon Suk-yeol departed for Spain, a senior official with the presidential office said, “From our standpoint, we might well ask ourselves, ‘What is going on here?’”

“President Yoon will need to get a full grasp on the circumstances when he returns,” the official suggested.

If Kim does submit his resignation, the presidential office stated, a decision will be made “based on the law, regulations and procedures.”

By Jeon Jong-hwi, staff reporter; Park Su-ji, staff reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter

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