According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and Ajunews, Prime Minister Han Sung-sook presided on Oct. 14 at the Seoul Government Complex over the first meeting of the Police Reform Committee under the Prime Minister's Office. She stressed that with large powers and heavy responsibility, police authority must be strictly controlled, and that designing effective internal and external controls comes first. The committee is a government advisory body of up to 20 members, including heads of agencies such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice, plus private experts; it recommends measures rather than holding legal decision-making power.

Background: Separation of investigation and prosecution, and wider police powers

The direct backdrop is the Oct. 2 launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Office, which institutionally separated investigation from prosecution. At the Sept. 22 cabinet meeting, Han said prosecution reform was in its final stage and announced that, because the police role and responsibility would grow, a police reform committee and a promotion team would be set up in her office. Under the new system the police handle most investigations, and debate has continued over whether sufficient checks exist.

The Kyunghyang reported that President Lee Jae-myung told the prime minister in August to create a body to discuss police reform after allegations of police cover-ups surfaced, including the so-called Jang Yoon-ki case. The details and investigative outcome of that case could not be confirmed here, and the allegations are not established facts. Han's remark at the meeting that concern over recent police conduct is high appears to reflect this context.

Key points of the prime minister's remarks: control, local policing, speed

The first axis she set out is control. Han said internal and external controls should be designed to work so that police power is exercised fairly and transparently, and she welcomed fundamental proposals, including securing the political neutrality of the police. She added that the government would take the committee's discussions seriously. Reports did not say which external oversight bodies will be discussed.

The second axis is frontline public safety. She stressed that police capacity should focus on citizens' everyday safety and that local policing must not weaken as investigative functions expand. She also asked for a review of staffing and resource allocation to strengthen community policing. With anxiety over violent crime heightened by cases such as the knife attack in Guwol-dong, Incheon, the request draws considerable public interest.

The third axis is speed. Han said that the longer reform is delayed, the more public expectation can turn into disappointment, and proposed putting forward measures first and refining them rather than preparing a perfect answer for a long time. She asked the National Police Agency and other ministries to provide data and support to the committee promptly. The remark can be read as a caution against reform talks dragging on with the political calendar.

Committee makeup and timetable

According to Herald Business and Jaekyung Ilbo, the private-sector chair is Kim Sun-taek, professor emeritus at Korea University Law School, and nine private members were appointed, including Kim Kyung-ryang, a former police college president. The committee will discuss four axes: stronger control of police power, stronger investigative capacity, reform of everyday public-safety policing, and organizational and institutional restructuring. The reported timetable is controls on police power by the end of October, a core reform plan by year-end, and a comprehensive plan in the first quarter of next year, followed by implementation checks.

The issues ahead fall into three groups. First, whether the strength and form of internal and external controls can work as a check without undermining investigative independence. Second, how staff and budget are divided between expanded investigation and frontline policing. Third, because the committee is only advisory, whether its recommendations will translate into legislation and budgets, where National Assembly debate and differences between ministries will be variables.