Ko Beom-seok, the new commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, named fair law enforcement and citizen safety as his top priorities, taking charge of policing in the capital ahead of an overhaul of the criminal justice system that will separate investigative and prosecutorial powers. He said the agency would respond firmly to internal misconduct as police authority and responsibility expand.
"Crime is becoming more complex and the risk of disasters and accidents is growing, so the scope of police activity is gradually widening," Ko said at his inauguration ceremony at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 3rd. "With the criminal justice system about to change so that investigation and prosecution are completely separated, the role and responsibility of the police are growing even greater."
Ko singled out the lives and safety of citizens as the highest value in policing. "Emergency calls to 112 and criminal complaints may be routine, repetitive work for us, but for citizens they can be an important and desperate matter they face only once in their lives," he said. "We must not neglect even a small report or complaint, and we must respond quickly and accurately to the voices of citizens who turn to the police in urgent moments."
He called for a strict response to misconduct and lax discipline within the force. "We must firmly guard against violations of duty and internal corruption, and carry out what we must do with a sense of responsibility," Ko said. "At a time when attention is focused on the police ahead of changes to the criminal justice system, even a single small mistake can have a major impact on public trust in the police." He urged officers to thoroughly observe the Constitution and the law in the course of their work.
Ko also emphasized field-centered policing. "We must take the voices from the field as an important standard for public safety and reflect them well in police activity," he said. "We should see citizens not as objects of policing but as partners who build public safety together, and I will create conditions in which frontline officers can work with confidence and conviction."
