"We Will Cut Out the Rotten Parts": Police Unveil Reform Plan Amid Skepticism

[Anchor]

The government has issued a public apology regarding the Jang Yoon-gi case and unveiled a reform plan for the police. To root out collusion between police officers and their local communities, the authorities have decided to expand the rotation system and introduce a "separation system," which transfers cases involving a police officer's family to a different police station.

Reporter Yun Nara has the story.

[Reporter]

Following the poor police investigation that emerged during the case of the high school girl's murderer, Jang Yoon-gi, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung and the police leadership apologized to the public and promised reform.

[Yun Ho-jung/Minister of the Interior and Safety: We will boldly cut out the rotten parts and fundamentally correct the system so that no more innocent victims are left in tears.]

Measures to eradicate internal police corruption and strengthen democratic control were also announced.

First, to block collusion based on local ties, the police will expand the rotation system. They will also introduce a "separation system" that requires cases to be transferred to a different police station if a person involved in the case is a family member of a police officer.

An internal corruption investigation unit will also be established directly under the National Office of Investigation.

Externally, the police promised to establish an "investigative human rights inspection and investigation body" to create a system for monitoring and controlling police investigations.

[Yoo Jae-sung/Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency: We plan to swiftly implement measures to eradicate internal corruption in police investigations and strengthen democratic control.]

Although the police announced a plan for swift implementation, they did not specify the exact timeline for each measure.

The rotation and separation systems could affect tens of thousands of police officers, and the establishment of an investigation body requires amendments to the Police Act. Given the intense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties, it is difficult to guarantee when such legislation will be passed.

[Lee Woong-hyuk/Professor of Police Science at Konkuk University: Because there is significant distrust in judicial institutions and public sentiment is critical, it is necessary to announce a specific schedule and proceed accordingly.]

In response, the Police Workplace Council stated that while they would cooperate with genuine reforms to restore public trust, they would firmly oppose unilateral policies that use specific cases as an excuse to make the police a scapegoat.

(Reported by Jo Chun-dong | Video by Lee So-young | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.