Growing Distrust in Police Leads to 'Pace Adjustment' for Autonomous Police System

[Anchor]

Public distrust in the police organization following the Jang Yun-gi case, particularly due to allegations of collusion involving local police, is impacting the expansion of the autonomous police system, a key national agenda of the Lee Jae-myung administration. Our reporting has confirmed that President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a "pace adjustment" for the initiative.

Reporter Kang Min-u has the exclusive report.

[Reporter]

The Lee Jae-myung administration has set the "gradual expansion and full implementation of the autonomous police system" as a national agenda.

On July 2, a pan-governmental consultative body under the Prime Minister was also launched.

[President Lee Jae-myung (in March): We must gradually expand the autonomous police system to build a dense, field-oriented public safety cooperation system that works together with citizens.]

The government had initially planned to announce the direction for improving the autonomous police system and the pilot operation regions between late July and early August, begin pilot operations next year, and achieve full implementation by July 2028.

However, SBS has confirmed that President Lee Jae-myung ordered Prime Minister Han Seong-suk to "adjust the pace."

The instruction was reportedly given with the understanding that, given the decline in public trust in the police due to incidents such as the "Jang Yun-gi case," the policy should undergo a sufficient deliberative process rather than being pushed forward hastily.

This is interpreted as a directive to carefully gather public opinion and establish measures to prevent side effects, as there have been concerns that the autonomous police system could lead to issues such as collusion between local police and local interest groups—often referred to as "local police corruption"—or the inability of central authorities to maintain control, despite the system's intended goals of decentralizing police power and realizing local autonomy.

The government is reportedly planning to create opportunities to listen to the opinions of the public as well as police officers in the field.

A key official from the Blue House stated, "We are collecting opinions from relevant ministries and reviewing the matter from various angles," adding that "nothing has been finalized yet."

The public distrust in the police, amplified by the "Jang Yun-gi case," is effectively affecting the timeline of the national agenda. Attention is now focused on the direction and speed of the autonomous police system, especially as it intersects with changes in the criminal justice system, such as the potential abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.

(Video reporting: Jeong Sang-bo, Ha Ryung | Video editing: Nam Il | Design: Kang Yun-jeong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.