The "Reform Task Force for Enhancing Public Trust in Police Investigations," launched to restore public confidence in police investigations and improve the investigative system, held its first meeting on the 27th and began full-scale activities. The committee changed its name to the "Police Investigation Reform Committee for Restoring Public Trust" and decided to intensively review the investigative process and structural problems of the Jang Yoon-gi case as its first agenda item.
The reform committee held its first meeting at 10 a.m. that day in a conference room of the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, discussing the committee's operational direction and future agenda items in earnest.
Kim Nam-jun, an attorney at Simin Law Firm, chairs the committee. The six external members include Yoon Dong-ho, a professor of law at Kookmin University; Cho Soon-yeol, president of the Seoul Bar Association; Jung Young-hoon, an attorney at Jeongse Law Firm; Park Mi-rang, a professor of police science and criminology at Hannam University; and attorney Park Yong-dae. Internal members include Yoo Seung-ryeol, investigation planning and coordination officer at the National Police Agency; Lee Mi-kyung, forensic investigation review officer; and Cho Joo-eun, women's safety and school violence countermeasures officer.
The National Police Agency had initially announced that Jang Yoon-jeong, an attorney at Jipyong Law Firm, would participate as an external member, but Professor Park Mi-rang attended the first meeting in her place. Attorney Jang conveyed a final decision to decline, and the committee plans to add external members going forward.
The committee decided to hold regular meetings once a week going forward, discussing not only agenda items presented by the National Police Agency but also items proposed directly by the members. It also agreed to additionally appoint a member representing crime victims in order to reflect the voices of crime victims.
The first agenda item for discussion is the Jang Yoon-gi case. At its second meeting to be held on the 3rd of next month, the committee plans to receive a briefing on the investigative process and problems of the Jang Yoon-gi case, then review whether the investigation was inadequate and examine organizational problems, and discuss measures to prevent recurrence and improve the system.
In addition, the committee will hear the opinions of socially vulnerable victims, including sexual violence victims, and afterward will hold discussion sessions with victims of livelihood crimes such as jeonse (a Korean lease system requiring a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent) fraud and voice phishing, comprehensively discussing measures to protect victims during the police investigation process.
The committee's policy is to continue presenting opinions through regular meetings until the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency in October.
Chairman Kim Nam-jun met with reporters after the meeting and said, "We discussed the general aspects related to investigation reform and confirmed the National Police Agency's will to reform. Members decided to submit agenda items for specific system improvement proposals by next week for discussion."
Regarding the expansion of the rotational personnel system, which has been controversial among field police officers, he said, "It is a matter that will be decided taking into account actual working conditions and such aspects, so these are not things on which conclusions can be drawn right now," adding that he would comprehensively hear external opinions.
Jung Young-hoon, an external member and attorney at Jeongse Law Firm, said, "At the next meeting, we decided to receive the police report on the investigative process and problems of the Jang Yoon-gi case, then discuss improvement measures. We plan to first hear the opinions of groups of socially vulnerable victims, such as sexual violence victims, and afterward sequentially hear the opinions of victims of livelihood crimes such as jeonse fraud and voice phishing."
