Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said he would make every effort to secure investigative talent and reform the police organization in line with the October launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
"For the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency to fulfill its role as a 'Korean-style FBI,' securing personnel with rich investigative experience and expertise is above all necessary," Han said on the 6th at a Democratic Party policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly. "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety should promptly finalize reasonable personnel arrangements and specific working conditions, and pay particular attention to ensuring that capable investigative personnel can move smoothly to the agency."
The agency's launch preparation team announced its organizational structure plan and investigator appointment plan on the 4th, and has since been holding appointment briefings at 18 district prosecutors' offices nationwide. The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency will launch with a total of 2,874 personnel across its headquarters and six regional offices, taking over the existing prosecution's serious crime investigation functions.
Han stressed the need for controls and organizational reform commensurate with the expansion of police investigative authority. "Effective control over police investigative authority and high-intensity reform of the police are also important tasks for the new criminal justice system," he said. "As their authority has grown, they must prove a higher level of fairness, transparency and investigative completeness."
Regarding police control mechanisms, Han explained, "We will allow the Public Prosecution Agency to request the replacement of police investigators and expand the right to file objections to include victims, while also introducing a body to investigate human rights violations in police investigations." He added, "We have also decided to establish various control mechanisms, such as a recusal system that prevents police officers from handling investigations involving their families, including spouses and lineal ascendants and descendants."
He then said, "I hope you take seriously the reality that public concern over police investigations has grown recently due to cases such as the Jang Yoon-gi case," adding, "From the police leadership to frontline investigators, they must undertake a thorough reform with the resolve to stake the organization's cause."
On the establishment of an Armed Forces Academy, Han called it "an irreversible trend of the times" and pledged to support the preparation of related systems and budget allocation. "Given the nature of modern warfare, which is expanding into artificial intelligence (AI), drones, cyber warfare and space, the traditional boundaries between military branches are collapsing," he said. "The realistic factors of a declining school-age population and a shortage of military service resources also cannot be ignored."
He continued, "The fact that three coups occurred during our short modern and contemporary history by the military, with the Korea Military Academy at its core, is also an aspect that cannot be overlooked," pointing out that "despite three coups, the academy has never once taken responsibility."
He also stated, "In this reality, academy reform is absolutely necessary to nurture elite officers who can encompass the integrated battlefield," and emphasized, "Institutionally ensuring the creation of a military that is devoted solely to the nation and its people is the first step toward advancing to a smart, strong military."
