Democratic Party Chief Vows to Root Out Six Police Abuses

ANDONG — Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said he would accelerate police reform to root out what he called the "six major abuses" within the police, citing a case in Jeju in which a missing-person report was falsely closed. The aim is to strengthen accountability and oversight across police investigations, given that the case occurred even with prosecutors holding supplementary investigative authority.

At a field meeting of the party's top leadership held on the 26th at the Democratic Party's North Gyeongsang provincial office in Andong, Kim said, "We will press ahead with police reform," adding, "We will protect investigations that safeguard citizens, and firmly reform investigative power that violates citizens' rights and interests."

Kim identified the police's key problems as protecting their own, burying cases, closing cases without authorization, concealing or fabricating evidence, leaking investigative information, and violating personal data. "We must root out these six major abuses," he said. "We will seek measures such as expanding external audits, strengthening grounds for recusal from investigations, improving explanations to victims, and reinforcing legal accountability for illegal or negligent investigations."

He also said the party would clarify where responsibility lies in the police command and supervision system. "Command, supervision and accountability under the chain of command must be established more firmly," Kim said, reaffirming a policy of strengthening democratic control over police authority.

Kim also referred to the party's police reform task force, which was launched the previous day. The Democratic Party appointed Rep. Kim Nam-hee as its head and placed Rep. Lee Hye-sik of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on the team as well. Lawmakers with police backgrounds were assigned as advisers rather than task force members. Kim said this was "solely because the goal is transparent, swift and forceful police reform."

He also stressed that police reform should be pursued alongside prosecution reform. "Under the principle of popular sovereignty, we will strengthen democratic control over both the prosecution and the police," Kim said. "The public and the president are of one mind in recognizing that police reform is very important right now and in raising the issue."

The Democratic Party plans to draw up and announce a detailed reform plan this month, centered on the police reform task force.